Creative Control Research Articles

Comparisons and associations between personality, creative potential and achievement in creative, non-creative and early psychosis participants

ABSTRACTEpidemiological evidence supports common genetic determinants between psychosis spectrum populations and creative individuals. Aspects of personality may contribute to protecting the creative artist from psychosis vulnerability. This study examines the similarities and differences in personality within a sample of early psychosis (EP), creative control (CC) and non-creative control (NCC) participants. Findings indicated that the CC group shared closer personality commonalities with the EP group than with NCC participants, on traits such as Neuroticism, Openness and Impulsive Non-Conformity as well as on variables such as Unusual Experiences, Cognitive Disorganisation and Paranoia/Suspiciousness. However, the CC group may better manage their emotional sensitivity and interpersonal suspiciousness than the EP participants. In separate analyses, CC and EP participants recorded higher creative cognition than NCC participants. Unsurprisingly, the CC group reported significantly higher creative achievement than the EP and NCC samples. Of note, the findings indicate that EP participants recorded significantly higher creative achievement than NCC, suggesting that EP patients demonstrate some capacity for creative cognition and creative achievement. These preliminary findings may encourage further research and promote avenues of treatment for at-risk creative individuals and EP individuals.

Toward interaction of affective and cognitive contributors to creativity in bipolar disorders: A controlled study

BackgroundEnhanced creativity in bipolar disorder patients may be related to affective and cognitive phenomena. Methods32 bipolar disorder patients (BP), 21 unipolar major depressive disorder patients (MDD), 22 creative controls (CC), and 42 healthy controls (HC) (all euthymic) completed the Revised Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Personality Inventory (NEO), the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI); the Barron-Welsh Art Scale (BWAS), the Adjective Check List Creative Personality Scale, and the Figural and Verbal Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Mean scores were compared across groups, and relationships between temperament/personality and creativity were assessed with bivariate correlation and hierarchical multiple linear regression. ResultsBP and CC (but not MDD) compared to HC had higher BWAS-Total (46% and 42% higher, respectively, p<0.05) and BWAS-Dislike (83% and 93% higher, p<0.02) scores, and higher MBTI-Intuition preference type rates (78% vs. 50% and 96% vs. 50%, p<0.05). BP, MDD, and CC, compared to HC, had increased TEMPS-A-Cyclothymia scores (666%, 451% and 434% higher, respectively, p<0.0001), and NEO-Neuroticism scores (60%, 57% and 51% higher, p<0.0001). NEO-Neuroticism and TEMPS-A Cyclothymia correlated with BWAS-Dislike (and BWAS-Total), while MBTI-Intuition continuous scores and NEO-Openness correlated with BWAS-Like (and BWAS-Total). LimitationsRelatively small sample size. ConclusionsWe replicate the role of cyclothymic and related temperaments in creativity, as well as that of intuitive processes. Further studies are needed to clarify relationships between creativity and affective and cognitive processes in bipolar disorder patients.