Intellect and Individuality

Abstract

ABSTRACT: On empirical and theoretical grounds, it is proposed that an inquiring intellect contributes to people's individuality, that is, to creatively construing and presenting the self as unlike others. This research used photo essays about the self as the medium for operationalizing self-construals that are unlike others (i.e., are uniquely creative, abstract, self-reflective, and multidimensional). Two studies (N = 591) are reported in which individuality, rated from photo essays, was related to a variety of markers for an interest in ideas. First, in a new analysis of previously published data, we related individuality to the Clark-Trow typology of major college student philosophies. As expected, students who endorsed an intellectual philosophy of attending college, relative to those endorsing the vocational philosophy, showed greater individuality. Second, in 2 new samples, individuality was predicted and found to correlate with the intellectual philosophy of college as well as intellectual openness, investigative vocational interests, need for cognition, and trait curiosity. Qualitative analyses of photo essays by the participants with the highest and lowest inquiring intellect helped articulate these differences. Findings bear on the openness versus intellect controversy among "big five" researchers and suggest that self-creativity is related to both aesthetically open and intellectual orientations.