Creative personal identity in the age of generative AI: A social-cognitive pathway of AI literacy, self-efficacy, and mindset

The purpose of this paper is to expand the research base on creativity by assessing engineering students’ creative self-concepts. A cross-sectional study of first-year and senior engineering students was conducted to investigate three constructs that measure creative selfconcept: creative self-efficacy, creative personal identity, and creative expectations. Gender differences in how creative self-concepts differ from first-year to senior year were also explored. The results show that female students have lower average scores on a creative self-efficacy scale at both the first and senior years. First-year female students have higher average creative identity scores than male students. However, senior male students have a stronger creative identity than senior female students. Senior males and females feel that instructors have lower expectations regarding creative behaviors as compared to first-year students. The lower expectation of senior students suggest that engineering instructors should consider ways to engage upper level students in creative behaviors. Future research includes a longitudinal study to examine how creative selfconcept changes in progression through the engineering curriculum.

The amount of attention given to creative beliefs has increased in recent years. This article suggests that the selection of one´s best ideas from a set of self-generated alternatives should be included as an indicator of metacognition; something known as creative metacognition accuracy. The present investigation examined the role of creative mindsets and creative personal identity on the selection of one´s best idea, creative self-efficacy, and potential, under two conceptualizations of these beliefs: latent variables and latent classes. College business students completed a battery of questionnaires assessing creative mindsets, creative personal identity, and creative self-efficacy. In addition, participants completed a divergent thinking task involving improvement of smartphones an-d were asked to choose their best idea. Two independent judges also selected the best idea from participants’ set of self-generated ideas. Under the latent class conceptualization, a class with high levels of growth mindset and creative personal identity, and low levels of a fixed mindset showed higher levels of accurate idea selection and creative self-efficacy than the rest of the classes. Similarly, under the latent variable conceptualization, creative personal identity had a positive influence on accurate idea selection and creative self-efficacy.

The aim of this study was to examine the relation of the Big Five personality factors to two self‐concept variables of growing importance in creativity literature: creative self‐efficacy (CSE) and creative personal identity (CPI). The analysis, conducted on a large (N = 2674, 49.6% women) and varied‐in‐age (15–59 years old) nationwide sample of Poles, using the structural equation model, demonstrated that personality factors are responsible for 23% of CSE and 21% of CPI variances. CSE and CPI were associated with all five personality dimensions: positively with Openness to Experience, Extraversion and Conscientiousness, negatively with Neuroticism and Agreeableness. The separate analyses conducted on men and women showed the differences among the predictors of CSE and CPI. Although Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism predicted CSE among both men and women, Extraversion was positively and Agreeableness negatively related to women's CSE. Conscientiousness was positively related to CPI only among men, and Agreeableness was negatively related to it only among women. Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Openness predicted CPI in the same manner among men and women.

The main objective of the study presented in this article was to examine the relationship between trait curiosity and two self-concept constructs which are gaining popularity in the creativity literature – creative self-efficacy (CSE) and creative personal identity (CPI). Although the role of curiosity in creativity seems well established, in fact there is little empirical evidence of the relationship between curiosity treated as a trait and both CSE and CPI. In a study conducted on a sample of middle and high school Polish students (N = 284; 55% female, aged 13–18, M = 14.74, SD = 1.14), curiosity was measured by the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI-II: Kashdan, Gallagher, Silvia, Winterstein, Breen, Terhar, & Steger, 2009) and CSE and CPI by the Short Scale of Creative Self (SSCS; Karwowski, Lebuda, & Wiśniewska, in press). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the existence of substantial correlations between measured constructs. Latent factor of CSE correlated strongly with a tendency to seek out new experiences (stretching, r = .72) and an acceptance of unpredictability (embracing, r = .67), while CPI correlated substantially with stretching (r = .62) and slightly less with embracing (r = .48) – all correlations were highly reliable (p < .001). Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis showed the existence of a strong relationship between the higher-order factor of curiosity (composed of stretching and embracing) and creative self (composed of CSE and CPI): r = .75, which may indicate common basis of creativity and curiosity. The consequences of curiosity for the development of CSE and CPI are discussed.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of creative mindset on task performance through creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity in dance majors using three core concepts of creativity research (to test the multiple mediating effects of creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity) and to evaluate whether these structural relationships differ by dance experience level (to test the invariance of structural coefficients). Methods The participants were 423 students (44 males and 379 females) majoring in dance at four universities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and Gangwon Province. Their average dance experience was 7.38±3.81 years, and their average age was 21.04±2.63 years. The data were processed using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multigroup analysis. Results The hypotheses were tested as follows: First, creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity of dance majors partially mediate the relationship between growth mindset and task performance. Second, the fixed mindset that creative ability does not change with learning and effort does not influence task performance through creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity. Third, the relationships between creative mindset, creative self-efficacy, creative personal identity, and task performance are the same for all students regardless of dance experience. Conclusions These findings suggest that the mindset of believing that creative abilities can be developed through learning and practice, as well as beliefs and identities about creative abilities, are determinants that can promote achievement behaviors among college students majoring in dance, and are discussed in terms of creating a creative learning environment and providing extrinsic rewards and feedback.

Employee innovative behaviour is crucial for any firm success in terms of generation, promotion, and realization of new ideas, which can increase the organisational performance to organizational positive performance. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between supervisor feedback, customer employee exchange, creative personal identity, and innovative behaviour with the mediating role of interpersonal trust. The three hundred and seventy (370) responses have been collected from employees of Punjab emergency service (Rescue 1122) through questionnaires. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) has been employed to draw the results. The final results have shown a positive and significant relationship between supervisor feedback, customer employee exchange, creative personal identity and innovative behaviour of employees, while interpersonal trust was found to play an intermediary role between customer employee exchange, creative personal identity, and innovative behaviour.

Although creative self-concept constructs are intensively studied in the creativity literature, little is known about the dynamics of their changes during the life span and the relationships between different aspects of the creative self-concept. Using a longitudinal and a cross-sequential design, this investigation aimed to test changes in two important creative self-concept constructs—creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity—over short (6 months) and longer (20 months) periods of time, while simultaneously examining reciprocal relationships between them. The results showed the short-term stability of both constructs, but they also revealed significant change over the longer period―specifically, a growth of creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity in people from late adolescence to early adulthood and a drop among older participants. Reciprocal longitudinal relationships between creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity were also demonstrated, with creative self-efficacy being a more stable predictor of creative personal identity than the reverse.

This study examined the impact of SCAMPER project teaching on CSE and CPI. Using a quasi-experimental design, 131 elementary students engaged in seven weeks of project-based learning. Data collection was conducted using the SSCS to measure CSE and CPI, while student project outcomes were evaluated with the CPSS to assess creativity in terms of novelty, resolution, and elaboration and synthesis. The findings revealed statistically significant improvements in both CSE and CPI (p &lt; 0.05), indicating that SCAMPER project teaching effectively enhances students’ creative potential. Additionally, students demonstrated the ability to produce original and meaningful work, reflecting well-rounded creative thinking.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of an employee’s personal creative identity on their innovation behaviour in knowledge-intensive information technology (IT) service provider firms. It further investigates the mediating role of an employee’s creative process engagement (CPE) and the moderating effects of the organizational creative climate on creative identity-innovative behaviour (IB) relationships.Design/methodology/approachThis study follows a quantitative method. Using a multi-item survey instrument, a total of 316 questionnaires were collected from the employees of IT service provider firms in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling, factor analysis and path analysis to test the hypotheses and to assess the moderating and mediating effects of the variables.FindingsThe results revealed the significant influence of an employee’s creative personal identity (CPI) on their IB. The mediation analysis revealed that CPE mediates the association between a CPI and IB. The study also found a significant moderating effect of a creative organizational climate between a CPI and CPE.Research limitations/implicationsBased on the premise of the interactionist approach of creativity and role identity theory, this study contributes to the creativity and innovation literature by providing empirical support for the relationship between a personal creative identity, organizational creative culture, CPE and IB in IT service organizations.Originality/valueThis study adopts a distinct model comprising four different variables to investigate an employee’s IB from a multi-level perspective, i.e., a creative identity and CPE at the individual level and a creative climate and IB at the organizational level. This integrated model using predictors from multiple levels supports the theoretical assumption that IB results from the interaction of individual and organizational level factors.

One of the main drivers of acting creatively is people’s belief that they can do so. Yet, most of the previous work on creative self-concept takes a domain-general perspective, telling us little about whether domain-specific interventions or activities can build people’s creative self-perception. This paper specifically considers the domain of screenwriting to investigate and enlighten the debate in the area. We analyze the impact of an intervention focused on the development of creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity in an undergraduate screenwriting course at the Griffith Film School, Griffith University, Australia. The intervention, scaffolded by a creative metacognitive framework was an integral part of the course and was delivered by a Creativity Coach. Our results suggest that enrolling in an intensive and elective screenwriting course which included targeted teaching and self-reflection about creativity and the creative process, significantly improved participants’ creative personal identity (valuing creativity) and creative performance, with no effect on their creative self-efficacy. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings and provide recommendations for future research.

In two studies, one in Mexico and another one in Germany, we examined the indirect influence of self‐reported multicultural experience on creative potential, through its influence on creative self‐efficacy, and its direct influence on creative personal identity. In both studies, business students from Mexico and Germany completed a battery of questionnaires assessing creative self‐efficacy (with two different operationalizations), creative personal identity, multicultural experiences, and a divergent thinking task designed to generate ideas to solve two different business problems. Structural equation modeling was used to test our hypotheses. Results from both studies found a positive relationship between self‐reported multicultural experiences and creative personal identity. Similarly, multicultural experiences had an indirect, positive relationship with originality scores from a divergent thinking task, through its influence on creative self‐efficacy. Hence, the positive influence of multicultural experience on creative potential, through creative self‐efficacy, was established in two countries and with different operationalizations, trait like versus state like, of creative self‐efficacy. The implications of the results were discussed.

Finding your authentic voice and believing in yourself enough to express it is core to creative work. This involves complex self-world interactions shaping creative identity and storytelling, evident in screenwriting education, which entails iterative creative processes requiring active engagement with uncertainty. While essential, such engagement challenges authentic voice development. This paper discusses how screenwriters may develop an authentic voice and the pedagogical approaches supporting this within screenwriting education. Specifically, it explores how transdisciplinary insights from screenwriting research, cognitive psychology and neuroscience informed pedagogical strategies addressing the interplay between creative personal identity, creative self-belief, authenticity and voice. We propose that developing an authentic voice as part of one’s creative personal identity is enhanced by building metacognitive awareness and agency over one’s creativity. We argue for practice-based pedagogy enabling creative self-reflection, mentorship, and knowledge of the creative self. Drawing on qualitative data from a pilot study of reflective screenwriting practices at an Australian university film school, findings suggest that structured knowledge of creativity − including creative process and personality attributes shapes distinct narrative voice development. By positioning authenticity and voice as a dynamic interplay between creativity, creative personal identity and self-expression, this research informs best practices in screenwriting education.

Creative confidence can be reflected in our identities and behaviours. The study explored perception changes in creative challenges and creative personal identity among first-year-in-college students before and after taking an interdisciplinary creativity course. A total of 764 students reported significantly higher levels of creative personal identity and heightened awareness of creative challenges at the end of the semester. Self-doubt was the most frequently reported internal barrier, and time and money were the most common external blocks. The results also demonstrated a strong relationship between creative personal identity and internal obstacles. The study concluded that students exposed to creative learning experiences become more motivated to exert time and effort in cultivating creative capacity with elevated levels of confidence.

In recent decades, research has shown that one set of individual factors contributing to creative self-beliefs are personality traits, with openness showing the strongest relationship. However, these associations have been studied at higher levels of the personality hierarchy and mostly in non-musician samples. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between personality (measured at factor and facet levels) and two types of creative self-beliefs, trait-like creative self-efficacy (tCSE) and creative personal identity (CPI), in a sample of a cappella singers. A total of 128 individuals (64% women) participated in the study. Participants were members of 18 conveniently sampled traditional Croatian a cappella groups. Personality factors and facets were measured with the BFI-2 questionnaire (Soto &amp;amp; John, 2017), while creative self-beliefs were measured with the Short Scale of Creative Self (Karwowski et al., 2018). At the factor level, openness had the highest correlation with both tCSE and CPI. At the facet level, the highest correlations with tCSE were found for creative imagination, an openness facet, and energy level, an extraversion facet, while with CPI for all openness facets, creative imagination, aesthetic sensitivity and intellectual curiosity. In linear regression analyses, the only significant predictors of CPI were openness at the factor level and creative imagination at the facet level. Significant predictors of tCSE were openness and neuroticism at the factor level and creative imagination and sociability at the facet level. Personality facets explained more variance in both types of creative self-beliefs than factors.

This study examined creativity at work by considering a new construct, creative personal identity, in conjunction with creative self-efficacy and a problem-solving strategy. Results of a field study suggested that creative personal identity explained variance in creativity at work above and beyond creative self-efficacy, but that the two did not interact. Results also indicated support for the interaction of the self-concept and a problem-solving strategy. The positive relationship between creative personal identity and creativity at work was stronger when individuals applied nonwork experiences in efforts to solve work-related problems.