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Creativity and depression : personality correlates of depression in autobiographies of creative versus non-creative achievers

This study focused on depression-proneness in the creative achiever compared to the eminent but non-creative achiever. Forty-eight subjects' (25 male, 23 female) autobiographies were assessed on personality using the California Q-Set (Block, 1961). Creative achievers were divided into visual and literary creators while the control group was made up of political, military and social leaders. The Q-Set items were divided into the five factors of personality (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness) according to McCrae, Costa and Busch (1986). Using factor analysis, neuroticism was further divided into 6 facets, two of which corresponded to Costa and McCrae's depression and impulsivity items. Results showed that creative achievers scored significantly higher than controls on neuroticism and openness, while controls scored significantly higher on conscientiousness. Creative achievers rated significantly higher than controls on depression-proneness and impulsivity, with literary artists scoring particularly high on depression-proneness. Creativity as a method for controlling depression is discussed.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.67522
Date January 1993
CreatorsWalker, Marie
ContributorsHum, A. (advisor), Koestner, R. (advisor)
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001337163, proquestno: AAIMM87774, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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