Varieties of Adolescent Creativity and the High School Environment

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that creativity is associated with social alienation, self reported creativity in the visual arts, science, performing arts, music, and writing (with the criterion of prize and award winning) and in group leadership was predicted from biographical questionnaire items and intelligence, using simple, multiple, and canonical correlations. The analyses, conducted on national random samples of 2,225 boys and 741 girls, directly contradicted the hypothesis by suggesting that adolescent creativity is associated, although weakly, with (a) involvement in school activities, (b) stimulating home environments, (c) perseverance in spite of difficulties, and (d) intellectual motivation but not intelligence.

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