IN SEARCH OF THE CREATIVE PERSONALITY

Conceptual maps of occupational interests and environments, traits, an d psychosocial motives were used in a search for general features of c reative personality. Creative individuals seem to be concentrated in a rtistic and investigative occupations. In the samples surveyed, indivi duals in different arts and investigative fields differed considerably in personality traits, and the more creative did not differ from the less creative ill the same ways across samples. The power motive gener ally may be important, but research to show this is lacking. Neverthel ess, creative individuals were found to share strong symbolic interest s, independence, and high aspirations. Viewing them as self oriented r ather than other-oriented is consistent with the above findings and wi th their love of work and difficulty in relationships; it points to tr anscendence of the self as a common moral problem. Implications for re search on the creative personality include the importance of attention to the development of symbolic interests and to our projections of po wer on the creative individual.