Stephanie Z. Dudek

Personality consistency: Eminent architects 25 years later

Abstract: One hundred and twenty‐four American male architects representing three levels of eminence and creativity were studied by Donald W. MacKinnon and his collaborators in 1958–1960. The present report is based on a follow‐up of 70 of the 83 (78%) surviving architects (mean age 71 years, with a range of 62–88). The architects were individually interviewed at their place of residence between 1983–1984 and received several of the same tests they had received 25 years before, including the Adjective Check List (ACL) and the California Psychological Inventory (CPI). The present study offered the architects a chance to look back at lifelong careers, and it allowed the researchers to establish that the distinct personality characteristics of the three groups of architects remained remarkably stable, and were at least partially responsible for moderating longevity and achievement. Opportunities for full‐time practice were radically different for the three groups after age 65. The interview data suggested th...

Cumulative and Proximal Influences on the Social Environment and Children's Creative Potential

The influences of socioeconomic status (SES), maturation, school, and sex on creative potential were examined by administering the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking to 1,445 children. Comparisons of means indicated that scores increased with SES, sixth-grade children scored slightly higher than fifth-grade children, and girls in general earned higher scores than boys. Additionally, the school setting and in particular the classroom atmosphere seemed to be far more important to creative potential than has been previously acknowledged. Implications for the concept of creativity and the adequacy of tests as indicators of divergent thinking are discussed.

Personality determinants of the commitment to the profession of art

Abstract: The model of commitment presented in the present report postulates personality to be the crucial element in the development and maintenance of commitment to the profession of art. The objectives of the research reported here were to (a) demonstrate the typicality of the artist personality and (b) identify the traits which characterize committed and uncommitted artists. Three groups of artists were compared: mature established artists described as committed over a lifetime, committed art students, and uncommitted art students. The instrument used to evaluate personality was the Adjective Check List (ACL; Gough 8c Heilbrun, 1983). Both committed and uncommitted artists presented a typical personality structure; but in contrast to the committed, the uncommitted were characterized by low self‐esteem, a negative self‐image, impaired motivation, low staying power, and an inability to find a clear direction. Both art students and mature artists agreed about the order of importance of 11 factors conside...

The Creative Thinking and Ego Functioning of Children.

Abstract: One hundred highly creative children and 100 uncreative children were selected from a sample of 1,450 fifth‐ and sixth‐grade children. They were identified with the the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). Comparisons revealed significant differences in terms of quantity and quality of primary process content. The creative children gave not only more primary process ideation, but the quality was (a) significantly more libidinal than aggressive, (b) more regressive (greater DD), and (c) showed more effective use of regression in the service of the ego (calculated by using the popular response to score defense effectiveness). There were no sex differences in the TTCT scores or the primary process content, but girls gave more libidinal content and boys gave more aggressive content.

Mother‐child relationships and creativity

Abstract: The present study focused on the relationship between young childrens level of differentiation and creative potential as assessed by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The mothers of high and low creative children were interviewed in order to establish the degree to which they encouraged differentiation in their children. Their level of involvement with their children was also evaluated using the Family Relations Test (FRT). Mothers of high creative children were less emotionally involved with their children than other mothers, less likely to be perceived as overprotective, and less likely to deny their feelings of hostility towards them. They were more self‐confident and self‐realized in their homes and had higher occupational levels than other mothers. The present study also assessed the level of differentiation in both creative and uncreative children with the Draw‐a‐Person and Kinetic Family Drawing Tests. Results indicated that highly creative children were more differentiated...

The morality of 20th‐century transgressive art

Abstract: According to Kant all moral concepts have their seat in reason, and thus morality must be judged in terms of formal characteristics rather than in terms of content. Kants categorical imperative defines moral action as a duty, and as a self‐imposed law, empty of any particular content. A basic moral principle is that all persons treat each other as ends and never as means. Similarly, the artists categorical imperative is that art be true to itself, and that it sees itself as an end and never as a means. Twentieth‐century art, for all its transgressive drive, is intrinsically moral, as all great art always is. The true artist never takes an “official”; stand. He or she incorporates only those properties that will ensure a work of art sufficient unto itself. The product is an affirmation.

Sex differences in the performance of school children.

Marked and consistent differences in academic performance between boys and girls were found in a longitudinal study of young school-age children. Performance, measured by objective tests administered by a psychologist, was higher in girls in all grades (Grade I to Grade V). However, tests of intelligence, perceptual maturity and conceptual ability showed no sex-linked differences — the only tests favouring the girls were those of motor ability. To explain the better academic performance of female children, personality attributes were considered (C.P.I.). Statistically significant differences were found in three personality dimensions: girls were found to be obedient and dependent, sober-minded and quiet, practical and realistic. In contrast the boys were found to be assertive and independent, excitable and happy-go-lucky, sensitive and free thinking. The significance of these findings is discussed in terms of academic achievement and also in terms of culturally-determined sex-typing of young children.

Cognitive structure and achievement in the young child.

Recent findings from a longitudinal study or early school learning indicate that the Piaget measures of cognitive functioning at the Kindergarten level are reliable predictors of achievement in Grades I and II. Their predictive value remains statistically significant even after the I.Q. effect is ‘partialled’ out. A combined ‘test’ including the best Piaget subtest (Seriation and Time) with the Picture Arrangement from the WISC and the total score from the Lincoln Osseretsky (Motor Development test), when administered at Kindergarten, gives a surprisingly high prediction for achievement at Grades I and II. The significance of these findings is discussed. It is suggested that the Piaget tests at this level tap an important dimension of development, possibly that related to individuation and Ego autonomy.