Creativity In The Light Of Personality and Temperament in Undergraduate Psychology Students

Abstract

This research study aimed to investigate creativity in undergraduate psychology students in the light of their temperament and big five personality features. It shed light on how creativity was related with their temperament and personality traits, and if these variables present themselves as predictors of creativity. In addition, since temperament forms the basis of personality and personality plays a role in making a person creative, the mediatory role of personality traits was explored in this regard for temperament-creativity relationship. ATQ, BFI and SCAB were used to gather data about temperamental dimensions, personality traits and creativity features from a sample of 386 undergraduate psychology students from different universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi through convenient sampling. All five personality traits were significantly related with creativity. Where the relation of temperament and creativity is concerned, except negative affect, all temperament dimensions had significant relationship with creativity. Temperament along with openness and extraversion proved out to be significant predictor of creativity. Openness was found as the only mediator of temperament-creativity relationship. Adding further, gender based differences were also discovered in this sample on the variables of creativity and personality traits that showed higher levels of creativity, neuroticism, openness and agreeableness in females as compared to males. The findings can serve as a basis for taking measures to boost creativity in psychology students keeping its significance under consideration in the professional field of psychology, by working on certain creativity related temperament and personality traits especially openness to help them become better psychologists in future.