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Sanchez-Ruiz2014 Affect and Creativity
Sanchez-Ruiz2014 Affect and Creativity
To cite this article: Maria-Jose Sanchez-Ruiz & Daniel Hernández-Torrano (2014) The complex
relationship between creativity and affect / La compleja relación entre creatividad y afecto,
Estudios de Psicología: Studies in Psychology, 35:2, 239-265, DOI: 10.1080/02109395.2014.922263
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Estudios de Psicología / Studies in Psychology, 2014
Vol. 35, No. 2, 239–265, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02109395.2014.922263
since the last century. However, the role of non-cognitive elements, particu-
larly affect, has only started to be recognized and researched in the field of
psychology during the last decades. This paper offers a critical review of the
most relevant contributions to the study of the relationship between creativity
and affect, from the preliminary research conducted within the psychoanaly-
tic, humanistic and cognitive frameworks, to the most current lines of research
regarding the relationship between creativity and emotional states and traits.
We then present three integrative and heuristic models as promising initiatives
in the study of such a relationship. Finally, we highlight some theoretical and
practical considerations for future studies, such as a greater delimitation of
conceptualizations of creativity and affect, and the domain specificity of the
relationship between them.
Keywords: creativity; personality; emotional states; emotional intelligence;
domain specificity
Creativity is behind all the advances made by humankind and is the basis for the
improvement of society in various fields of human performance. The cognitive
components of creativity have been extensively studied since the middle of the
last century (Guilford, 1959; Mednick, 1962). However, the role of other non-
cognitive components of creativity, particularly affect, has only begun to be
recognized and researched in the field of psychology in recent years (see Baas,
De Dreu, & Nijstad, 2008; Batey & Furnham, 2006).
Traditionally, affect1 has been generally identified as a contaminant and a
distraction of reason and as an obstacle to creative thinking in particular. Today,
this view has been displaced by various arguments and evidence. On the one
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hand, creativity has been linked to both cognitive and non-cognitive components
(Batey & Furnham, 2006; Sanchez-Ruiz, 2011). On the other, there is evidence
that affect plays an important role in cognition (e.g., Bush, Luu, & Posner, 2000;
Le Doux, 1989) and may be a source of motivation for creativity and stimulus
selection as well as their interpretation, in addition to altering creative perfor-
mance: facilitating, inhibiting or guiding it in one way or another (Baas et al.,
2008; Davis, 2009).
Despite the research efforts over the past decades placed on studying the role
of affective processes in creativity, such a role remains inconclusive. This
situation can mostly be attributed to the theoretical confusion surrounding the
terms ‘creativity’ and ‘affect’, to the multifaceted nature of both constructs and
to the multiple indicators that have been used to assess them. Thus, various
studies have provided evidence that creativity and affect interrelate differently
depending on the facets being considered for their conceptualization and the
forms and instruments employed in their evaluation (e.g., Sanchez-Ruiz,
Hernández-Torrano, Pérez-González, Batey, & Petrides, 2011; Zenasni &
Lubart, 2008, 2009). In this regard, a critical and comprehensive review that
gathers the most important contributions made to date in this area will greatly
contribute to the elucidation of the role that certain forms of affect (e.g.,
emotions, affective facets, emotional states) may play in individuals’ creative
performance and expressions.
The aim of this paper is to contribute to the conceptual debate surrounding the
relationship between creativity and affect. To this end, a review of the most
relevant approaches in the study of the relationship between the two constructs
is presented, from traditional perspectives within psychology (i.e., psychoanalytic,
humanist and cognitive) to the most current ones, which link creativity and
emotionality in the sense of emotional states and traits, and consider creativity
as motivating tension. In addition, some of the most promising perspectives
developed over recent years are presented, which are based on integrative models
of creativity and affect and could provide new clues about the complex relation-
ship between the two constructs.
Creativity and affect / Creatividad y afecto 241
core relational theme for anxiety would be ‘uncertainty, threat’. According to Feist
(1999), uncertainty and threat happen when creators are faced with a problem that
can cause anxiety in some way. Then imbalance or tension arises from something
which is not resolved during the moments previous to a creative insight. Thus, not
only do creative individuals not abandon the race when faced with obstacles
(Feist, 2010), but they take advantage of such obstacles.
In the moments during and immediately after the insight, the emotions experi-
enced are more related to happiness and relief, and the core relational theme
would be equivalent to a ‘reasonable progress towards achieving a goal’. Thus, we
would expect that creators feel pride and happiness associated with an increase in
self-esteem and probably, more in the long-term, related to social recognition
(Feist, 1994).
Runco (1999) stresses the importance of tension as a creative engine. His
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shown that positive emotions foster creativity (e.g., Forgas, 2000). On the other,
there are studies that indicate that positive states may inhibit creativity, while
negative states may favour it (e.g., George & Zhou, 2002).
Scientists are currently considering other variables that may moderate the
influence of affective states on creative performance. In a recent meta-analysis,
Baas et al. (2008) highlighted the role that the variable ‘activation’ plays in the
relationship between creativity and affective states. Thus, the study showed that
positive states that do not involve any activation (e.g., relaxation) may have no
effect on creativity, while negative states that entail some sort of activation (e.g.,
anger) may lead to greater creative production. Based on this premise, De Dreu,
Baas, and Nijstad (2011) have proposed a dual model to explain how the
mechanisms of valence and activation of affective states together influence crea-
tivity. The proposal hypothesizes that creativity can be achieved by following two
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routes. One of the routes is cognitive flexibility, manifested in the use of a large
number of diverse and inclusive cognitive categories; and the other route is
persistence and perseverance, manifested in a greater number of ideas and points
of view within a relatively low number of cognitive categories, which is the result
of a prolonged effort and great commitment of time to the task. Thus, positive
emotions could facilitate the first route, favouring cognitive flexibility, whereas
negative affective states facilitate the second route, encouraging perseverance and
effort towards generating innovative solutions (To et al., 2012).
Another recent meta-analysis indicates that the relationship between creativity
and affective states depends not only on their valence but also on contextual
factors (Davis, 2009). Thus, the reasons for a given affective state (i.e., attribu-
tion), the intensity of the affective state and the characteristics of the task used to
assess creativity, influence the creativity-affect relationship.
a negative relationship between the two constructs. Finally, studies have failed to
find a statistically significant relationship between Agreeableness and creativity
(see Batey & Furnham, 2006; Chávez-Eakle, Eakle, & Cruz-Fuentes, 2012, for a
review of studies on the relationships between creativity and personality traits).
Furnham, 2007, p. 26). The trait EI domain covers a total of 15 personality facets
categorized into four main factors: Well-being, Self-Control, Emotionality and
Sociability (Petrides, 2010; see Table 1 for a brief description of the facets).
Because trait EI gathers together numerous personality facets related to the
affective and emotional processing of the individual, it is an interesting construct
to analyse when studying the affect-creativity relationship. To date there have
been some studies providing preliminary results on the relationship between
Table 1. Factors and brief description of the facets of the emotional intelligence trait.
Factors and Facets High scorers perceive themselves as...
Well-being
Self-esteem …successful and self-confident.
Trait happiness …cheerful and satisfied with their lives.
Trait optimism …confident and likely to ‘look on the bright side’ of life.
Self-control
Emotion regulation …capable of controlling their emotions.
Stress management …capable of withstanding pressure and regulating stress.
Impulsiveness (low) …reflective and less likely to give in to their urges.
Emotionality
Emotional perception (self and …clear about their own and other people’s feelings.
others)
Emotional expression …capable of communicating their feelings to others.
Relationships …capable of having fulfilling personal relationships.
Trait empathy …capable of taking someone else’s perspective.
Sociability
Social awareness …accomplished networkers with excellent social skills.
Emotional management (other) …capable of influencing other people’s feelings.
Assertiveness …forthright, frank, and willing to stand up for their
rights.
Adaptability* …flexible and willing to adapt to new conditions.
Self-motivation* …driven and unlikely to give up in the face of adversity.
Note: *These facets directly permeate the global trait EI score.
Source. Adapted from Sanchez-Ruiz et al. (2011).
Creativity and affect / Creatividad y afecto 245
creativity and affective facets adopting the trait EI theory framework. Overall,
these studies show that the relationship is neither uniform nor unidirectional and
found different mediators.
Firstly, the relationship between creativity and trait EI depends on the creativ-
ity indicator and the instrument used to assess creativity. Thus, there is no solid
evidence of a relationship between the overall trait EI and indicators of creative
behaviour (e.g., Zenasni & Lubart, 2009), although an association between some
trait EI factors, divergent thinking and a creative personality has been reported
(e.g., Sanchez-Ruiz et al., 2011).
Secondly, studies have obtained different results depending on the emotional
dimensions assessed. Variables such as Sociability seem to be closely related to
creativity, and especially to creative personality. However, others such as Well-
being, Self-control and Emotionality appear to be related to creativity indicators
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significant efforts made to date in this regard. This model suggests that creativity
can be evaluated with respect to three dimensions that can be arranged in a
4 × 4 × 3 matrix. The level dimension refers to who is the focus of the evaluation
(i.e., an individual, team, organization or culture). The facet dimension refers to
what is the focus of the evaluation (i.e., a person, process, product or environ-
ment). The focus dimension is related to how creativity is evaluated (i.e., objective
test, self-assessment, or raters evaluation). This model suggests that there are at
least 48 different ways to assess the construct of creativity. Individual creativity
can be measured using a divergent thinking test that assesses fluency; the creative
process of a team could be assessed through information provided by members
that come from outside the team; the influence of the environment on an organi-
zation’s creativity can be assessed by a panel of judges; creative products or
artifacts created by a culture (e.g., the Romans) could also be judged by experts in
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the field.
Divergent thinking
Access to thoughts with affective - Free association
content - Scanning ability
- Primary thought processes - Breadth of attention deployment
- Affective imagination when - Fluency of thought
playing
Tolerance towards ambiguity
Openness to experience
Independence of judgment
Unconventional values
Sensitivity to problems
- Problem identification
- Problem finding
Curiosity
Preference for challenge Affective pleasure in challenge
Preference for complexity
Insight abilities
Intrinsic motivation - Use of analogies
control affect. Emotional regulation and self-control have been associated with
more scientific than artistic creativity (Sanchez-Ruiz et al., 2011).
General conclusions
This paper provides a review of the scientific literature examining the relationship
between creativity and affect. The critical analysis has focused on theoretical
248 M.-J. Sanchez-Ruiz and D. Hernández-Torrano
Firstly, the broadness of the term ‘affect’, which includes concepts such as
emotion, feeling and mood, requires a clear conceptual definition that will deter-
mine the specific scientific framework. In this sense, the trait EI theory brings to
the study of the relationship between creativity and affect a comprehensive frame-
work for analysing some of the affective and emotional aspects of individuals that
have traditionally been associated with creative behaviour (Petrides, 2010). In
particular, research on trait EI and divergent thinking has demonstrated how
certain emotional dimensions (e.g., Sociability) are closely related to creativity,
while others (e.g., Well-being) do not appear to be related to the construct
(Sanchez-Ruiz et al., 2011). Likewise, the incorporation of trait EI to the study
of the relationship between creativity and affect has shown that specific emotional
states and traits can act as facilitators (or inhibitors) of creativity in certain
domains but not in others. For example, in the study carried out by Sanchez-
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Ruiz et al. (2011), a number of trait EI facets were related to creativity in different
ways for each domain. In particular, Self-control was related to Divergent
Thinking in the total sample. A more detailed analysis identified that this relation-
ship was more intensely evident in art students, but was not seen in students of
Natural and Social Sciences (where the trend was reversed). These findings are
consistent with Runco’s theory, albeit only for the Arts domain. One explanation
could be that people in this area perceive themselves as creative by definition.
Some studies have shown that individuals in the Arts domain often hold the idea
of tension and conflict as an implicit theory of creativity (Romo & Alfonso,
2003). Thus, these individuals were more likely to behave creatively to try to
satisfy their own image of creative people ‘in tension’. This idea is in line with
other studies (Feist, 1998), which have demonstrated a differential relation (spe-
cifically for the Arts group) in dimensions of Self-control and Emotionality.
Secondly, the diversity of approaches to studying creativity has greatly ham-
pered the interpretation of the results of various studies and lines of research on
creativity to date. Accordingly, some studies have begun to incorporate different
measures and instruments allowing for a systematic analysis of the multifaceted
nature of the construct in relationship with affectivity and emotionality. In general,
these studies have shown that various indicators of creativity relate differently
with affective and emotional variables (Kaufmann & Vosburg, 1997; Kaufmann,
2003; Sanchez-Ruiz et al., 2011). In light of these results, it seems important to
start considering holistic models which will allow for a comprehensive examina-
tion of how the relationship between affect and the different creativity dimensions
occurs. In this regard, proposals such as the one put forward by Batey (2012), and
presented in this paper, offer potential benefits in the assessment of the creativity-
affect relationship in at least two directions. First, these models can serve as a
structure to organize the findings from various studies on the creativity-affect
relationship, helping to compare results based on the methods used to assess
creativity. Second, these proposals can act as a platform from which to explore
new relationships between the two constructs. To date, most research in this area
has examined the connection between affect and creativity from an individual
approach focusing on person, process and product facets by using objective
250 M.-J. Sanchez-Ruiz and D. Hernández-Torrano
evidence and self-report instruments (e.g., De Dreu et al., 2011; Feist, 1998, 1999;
To et al., 2012; Zenasni & Lubart, 2008, 2009). Studies that incorporate other
levels in the evaluation of creativity such as group, organization and culture;
facets such as environment or assessment approaches such as the evaluation of
third parties, could shed interesting new light on the conceptual and empirical
debate on the relationship between creativity and affect.
Third, Russ’s (2011) integrative model is an extraordinary proposal for deter-
mining the role of affectivity in the creative sphere considering the relationships
that occur between affective states, cognitive mechanisms and personality traits
involved in the creative process. Additionally, this model could be used to clarify
the interrelationships among the different components of the model and to deter-
mine which specific affective processes are important in creativity and in what
way they are important.
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In summary, this review shows that the challenge of studying the relationship
between creativity and affect seems to originate mainly in the multifaceted nature
of both constructs and the many numbers of ways they have been defined and
assessed. Future studies researching the relationship between creativity and affect
could gather new data by approaching the problem using integrators and heuristics
models for the systematic collection of empirical evidence. Only the accumulation
of research in this direction will reveal the multiple variables and dimensions
involved in the complex relationship between creativity and affect.
Note
1. In this work affectivity and emotionality are considered interchangeable when refer-
ring to a dimension or aspect of individual personality. However, we believe that
affect and emotion, in singular, are distinct concepts. Many authors argue that affect
is a broad term that encompasses emotions and emotional states, and that emotion
does not usually have a long duration and has a specific trigger (e.g., see Ekman &
Davidson, 1994; Matthews, Deary, & Whiteman, 2003).
Creativity and affect / Creatividad y afecto 251
los últimos años (ver Baas, De Dreu, y Nijstad, 2008; Batey y Furnham, 2006).
Tradicionalmente, el afecto1 ha sido identificado como una fuente contami-
nante y distractora de la razón en general y como un obstáculo para el pensa-
miento creativo en particular. En la actualidad, esta visión ha sido desbancada
mediante diversos argumentos y evidencias. Por un lado, la creatividad ha demos-
trado estar ligada tanto a componentes cognitivos como a no cognitivos (Batey y
Furnham, 2006; Sanchez-Ruiz, 2011). Por otro lado, existen evidencias de que el
afecto tiene un papel relevante en la cognición (e.g., Bush, Luu, y Posner, 2000;
Le Doux, 1989) y puede suponer una fuente de motivación para la creatividad, de
selección de estímulos y de interpretación de los mismos, además de afectar al
rendimiento creativo, facilitarlo, inhibirlo o guiarlo de una u otra forma (Baas
et al., 2008; Davis, 2009).
A pesar de los esfuerzos que se han desarrollado durante las últimas décadas
encaminados a estudiar el papel de los procesos afectivos en la creatividad, la
relación entre creatividad y afecto todavía permanece inconclusa. Esta situación
puede atribuirse principalmente a la confusión teórica en torno a los términos
creatividad y afecto, a la naturaleza multifacética de ambos constructos, y a la
variedad de indicadores que se han utilizado para su evaluación en la literatura
científica. Así, distintas investigaciones han proporcionado evidencia de que
creatividad y afecto se relacionan de manera diferente en función de las facetas
que se consideran para su conceptualización y las formas e instrumentos que se
utilizan para su evaluación (e.g., Sanchez-Ruiz, Hernández-Torrano, Pérez-
González, Batey, y Petrides, 2011; Zenasni y Lubart, 2008, 2009). En ese sentido,
una revisión crítica y comprehensiva que recoja las contribuciones más impor-
tantes realizadas hasta la fecha en este campo contribuye en gran medida al
esclarecimiento del papel que determinadas formas de afecto (e.g., emociones,
facetas afectivas, estados emocionales) podrían tener en el rendimiento y
manifestación creativa de los individuos.
El objetivo de este trabajo es contribuir al debate conceptual en torno a la
relación entre creatividad y afecto. Para ello, se ofrece una revisión de las
aproximaciones más relevantes en el estudio de la relación entre ambos
252 M.-J. Sanchez-Ruiz and D. Hernández-Torrano
psicología
Los estudios preliminares de la relación entre creatividad y afecto se han realizado
fundamentalmente desde tres perspectivas: la psicoanalítica, la humanista y la
cognitiva. La corriente psicoanalítica se considera el primer intento por estudiar la
relación entre creatividad y afecto. En esta línea, Freud (1961) postuló que la
sublimación de impulsos insatisfechos se manifiesta en ocasiones en productos
creativos. Según este autor, la gente feliz y satisfecha no utiliza tanto la
imaginación, pues ésta surge a partir de deseos reprimidos y conflictos internos,
y en especial de impulsos sexuales no consumados. En otra línea, Kris (1952)
argumenta que uno de los fenómenos relacionados con la creatividad es la
regresión al servicio del yo. Esta regresión facilita el acceso a información
inconsciente y primitiva pero de una forma funcional y adaptativa.
La psicología humanista no trató como una cuestión central ni estudió
sistemáticamente las relaciones entre creatividad y afecto. Sin embargo, dentro
de la conceptualización de individuo autorrealizado, se reconoce la importancia de
la expresión creativa como uno de los medios para desarrollar el potencial
individual (Maslow, 1973; Rogers, 1954). Para los humanistas, la idea de una
personalidad genuina, proactiva, y con capacidad de planificación y
automotivación, va acompañada además de un espíritu creativo e innovador que
ayudaría a alcanzar la autoactualización (Maslow, 1973). Estas personalidades
tenderían a la estabilidad emocional, que lleva aparejada la socialización y
comunicación eficaz con los otros, la búsqueda de sensaciones y refuerzos
positivos, la libertad de expresión y el rechazo hacia mecanismos de defensa y
convencionalismos (Rogers, 1954).
Koestler (1964) puede considerarse uno de los pioneros de la perspectiva
cognitiva en el estudio de la creatividad. Este autor conceptualizó el constructo
como un proceso de bisociación en el que la persona une ideas en principio
alejadas temáticamente produciéndose un efecto de sorpresa. Esta repentina unión
o insight creativo produce una experiencia humorística, de felicidad o excitación.
No obstante, esa experiencia no garantiza el ‘valor’ de la idea, que requiere de una
verificación lógica a posteriori (dependiendo del dominio de creatividad en el que
surja la unión).
Creativity and affect / Creatividad y afecto 253
valencia, los estados pueden ser positivos (e.g., felicidad, relajación, alegría) o
negativos (e.g., enfado, ansiedad, tristeza). Por una parte, una gran cantidad de
estudios ha demostrado que los estados afectivos positivos favorecen la creativi-
dad (e.g., Forgas, 2000). Por otra, existen estudios que indican que los estados
positivos pueden inhibir la creatividad, mientras que estados negativos pueden
favorecerla (e.g., George y Zhou, 2002).
En la actualidad, los científicos están considerando otras variables que pueden
moderar la influencia de los estados afectivos en el rendimiento creativo. En un
meta-análisis reciente, Baas et al. (2008) pusieron de manifiesto el papel que la
variable activación juega en la relación entre creatividad y estados afectivos. Así,
el estudio evidenció que estados positivos que no implican ningún tipo de
activación (e.g., relajación) pueden no tener ningún efecto sobre la creatividad,
mientras que estados negativos que conllevan algún tipo de activación (e.g.,
enfado) pueden llevar a mayores producciones creativas. Basándose en esta
premisa, De Dreu, Baas, y Nijstad (2011) han propuesto un modelo dual que
permite explicar los mecanismos mediante los cuales la valencia y el nivel de
activación de los estados afectivos influyen conjuntamente en la creatividad. La
propuesta plantea la hipótesis de que la creatividad se puede lograr siguiendo dos
rutas. La ruta de la flexibilidad cognitiva, que se manifiesta en el uso de un
número amplio de categorías cognitivas variadas e inclusivas; y la ruta de la
persistencia y la perseverancia, que se manifiesta en un mayor número de ideas y
puntos de vista dentro de un número relativamente bajo de las categorías cogni-
tivas, gracias un esfuerzo prolongado y a un gran tiempo de dedicación a la tarea.
Así, los estados afectivos positivos podrían facilitar la primer ruta favoreciendo la
flexibilidad cognitiva, mientras que los estados afectivos negativos facilitarían la
segunda ruta fomentando la perseverancia y el esfuerzo hacia la generación de
soluciones innovadoras (To et al., 2012).
Otro reciente meta-análisis indica que la relación entre creatividad y estados
afectivos depende no sólo de la valencia sino también de factores contextuales
(Davis, 2009). Así, conocer la causa que genera un estado afectivo determi-
nado (i.e., atribución), la intensidad del estado afectivo, o las características de
Creativity and affect / Creatividad y afecto 255
personalidad. Así, Feist (1999) identificó a las personas creativas como más
abiertas a la experiencia, seguros de sí mismos, ambiciosos, dominantes, hostiles,
e impulsivos, y menos convencionales y concienzudos.
Segundo, se ha analizado el papel de determinados rasgos de la personalidad
en la facilitación de la creatividad. Los estudios que adoptan el modelo de los
Cinco Grandes en el estudio de la personalidad y la creatividad han evidenciado
que los rasgos Apertura a la experiencia (e.g., Silvia, Nusbaum, Berg, Martin, y
O’Connor, 2009) y Extraversión se relacionan manera positiva con la creatividad
en multitud de estudios, mientras que el rasgo Responsabilidad ha aparecido
negativamente relacionado a la creatividad en algunos estudios. Algunos estudios
han demostrado también una relación positiva entre el rasgo Neuroticismo y
creatividad (e.g., Xu y Brucks, 2011), mientras otros han evidenciado una
relación negativa entre ambos. Finalmente, no se ha evidenciado una relación
estadísticamente significativa entre el rasgo Amabilidad y la creatividad (ver
Batey y Furnham, 2006; Chávez-Eakle, Eakle, y Cruz-Fuentes, 2012, para una
revisión de los estudios sobre las múltiples relaciones entre creatividad y
personalidad).
Al recoger todas las facetas de la personalidad que tienen que ver con el
mundo afectivo y emocional del individuo, la IE rasgo se convierte en un
constructo interesante para analizar la relación creatividad-afecto. Hasta la fecha
se han realizado algunos estudios que ofrecen resultados preliminares sobre la
relación entre creatividad y facetas afectivas en el marco de la teoría de la IE
rasgo. A nivel general, estos estudios evidencian que la relación no es uniforme ni
unidireccional, sino que varía dependiendo de distintos mediadores.
En primer lugar, la relación entre creatividad e IE rasgo depende del indicador
de creatividad y del instrumento utilizado para evaluar la creatividad. Así, no se
ha encontrado una evidencia sólida sobre la relación entre IE rasgo global y
algunos indicadores de comportamiento creativo (e.g., Zenasni y Lubart, 2009),
aunque sí se ha encontrado una asociación entre IE rasgo, pensamiento divergente
y personalidad creativa (e.g., Sanchez-Ruiz et al., 2011).
En segundo lugar, se han obtenido resultados diferentes dependiendo de las
dimensiones emocionales consideradas en el estudio. Variables como la sociabi-
lidad parecen guardar una estrecha relación con la creatividad, especialmente con
la personalidad creativa. Sin embargo, variables como bienestar, autocontrol y
Creativity and affect / Creatividad y afecto 257
Pensamiento divergente
Acceso a pensamientos de - Asociación libre
contenido afectivo - Capacidad de selección y
- Procesos de pensamiento búsqueda
primarios - Despliegue de amplitud
- Fantasía afectiva en el juego atencional
Tolerancia a la ambigüedad
- Fluidez de pensamiento
Apertura a la experiencia
Curiosidad
Preferencia por los retos Disfrute emocional ante el reto
Preferencia por la complejidad
Conclusiones generales
Este trabajo ofrece una revisión sobre la literatura científica que ha examinado la
relación entre creatividad y afecto. Se han analizado desde un posicionamiento
crítico las contribuciones teóricas de diferentes perspectivas psicológicas sobre el
tema hasta los estudios empíricos que en las últimas décadas han adoptado una
perspectiva sistemática en el estudio de la relación entre ambos constructos.
260 M.-J. Sanchez-Ruiz and D. Hernández-Torrano
Nota
1. En este trabajo se consideran intercambiables la afectividad y emocionalidad refer-
idas a una dimensión o aspecto de la personalidad del individuo. No obstante,
consideramos que afecto y emoción, en singular, son conceptos distintos.
Numerosos autores sostienen que afecto es un término amplio que engloba las
emociones y los estados emocionales, y que la emoción, a diferencia, suele tener
una duración breve y un desencadenante específico (e.g., ver Ekman y Davidson,
1994; Matthews, Deary, y Whiteman, 2003).
Creativity and affect / Creatividad y afecto 263
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