The relationship between personality type and creative preference

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:As the human race enters the new millennium it is challenged by factors such as continuos changed,demand for improved quality and increased competition of global proportions. This requires oforganisations to be more responsive to change as well as that individuals will need to position themselvesto meet the challenges of the knowledge era. These challenges demand creativity in order to meet thedemands for value adding contributions to the organisation. The above mentioned situation gives rise toa number of questions: Firstly, how can the creative processes of an individual be assessed? Secondly,what role does personality play as an indicator of creativity? Lastly, can the knowledge concerning therelationship between creativity and personality be applied to enhance the expression of creativity in theworking environment?This research is aimed at investigating the relationship between personality dimensions and creativethinking preferences. 305 managers from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd reporting levels of an organisation in theaviation maintenance and manufacturing industry took part in the study. Two instruments were usednamely the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Step II, to assess the personality dimensions and the NeethlingBrain Instrument (NBI) to assess the subjects creative thinking preference.A Pearson Product Moment analysis was conducted to determine the correlation between the subscalesof the MBTI Step II personality dimensions and the NBI. Next a Principal Component analysis was conducted to determine if any of the NBI thinking style preferences measure the same factor as the subscalesof the MBTI Step II, as well as to reduce the number of variables used to determine if a significantrelationship exists between the principle dimensions of the MBTI and thinking styles of the NBI. Finally, aregression analysis was performed to determine if the principle dimensions of the MBTI Step II aresignificantly related to the thinking style dimensions of the NBI.The results of the Pearson Product Moment correlation indicated that significant correlations existbetween the sub-scales of the MBTI Step II and the NBI thinking preferences. However, the significanceof these correlations range from weak to strong, posing a challenge with regard to determining which ofthese correlations have any practical value.The results of the Principle Component analysis indicated the existence of four distinct factors, which arecommon to both the MBTI Step II, and the NBI. However, it was of interest to note that two of thedimensions of the NBI each loaded on two of the factors leading to the conclusion that these twodimensions each measure two unique factors.The results of the Regression analysis provided evidence that the NBI measures two dimensions of theMBTI Step II. Firstly, a preference for thinking is measured by the L1, Upper Left quadrant scale of theNBI and a preference for feeling is measured by the R2, Right Lower quadrant scale of the NBI.Secondly, that a combination of the Judging/Perceiving and Sensing/Intuition preferences are related asfollows. The R1, Right Upper quadrant preference scale measures a combination of Perceiving andIntuition. The L2, Left Lower quadrant scale appears to measure a combination of Judging and Sensing.An obvious question that arises is, which personality type is more creative? The process perspective oncreativity would appear to indicate that certain personality types have a preference for contributing moreeffectively to specific parts of the creative process. Thus it can be concluded that no single personalitytype is more creative than the other is, but that creativity requires the use of all the functions ofPersonality Type. The key to creativity is the integration of all the Type functions both preferred and notpreferred in a synergistic manner. This requires recognition that creativity will require the expenditure ofsignificant amounts of psychic energy to apply non-preferred functions in the process of being creative.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University