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10 - Creativity and Emotional Intelligence

A Complementary Pairing

from Part II - The Development of Creativity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2023

By
Jessica D. Hoffmann  and
Sean McFarland
Edited by
Zorana Ivcevic ,
Jessica D. Hoffmann  and
James C. Kaufman
Zorana Ivcevic
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
Jessica D. Hoffmann
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
James C. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
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Summary

Emotions are part of the creative process, and emerging research shows the emotions and creativity association extends well beyond simply the enhancing effects of pleasant emotions in laboratory studies on divergent thinking. More and more, researchers are recognizing that how the creator interprets, channels, and manages their emotions matters. So, are emotionally intelligent people more creative? The short answer is, it depends on who you ask. In this chapter, we will first describe prominent models of emotional intelligence (EI) and creativity and then review what evidence exists for the connection between the two constructs. We next describe our own conceptualization of EI and creative achievement grounded in the ability model of EI and actual creative performance. We conclude with examples of training programs and educational initiatives that can support both the development of EI and creative abilities.

Keywords

emotional intelligencecreativityability modelcreativity trainingsocial emotional learning
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity and Emotions , pp. 186 - 204
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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