Conation and Creativity

Creativity can be defined as a person's ability to bring something into existence that is both original and worthwhile. Researches focusing on the understanding of the association between various cognitive processes and creativity are abundant in the field of psychology. However, after more than half a century of research, psychology scholars more or less agree that creativity is not just a cognitive construct. A multitude of other variables contribute to the expression of creative ideas. One such variable is conation. Conation may be defined as an individual's natural way of taking action. It is the personal, intentional and goal oriented component of motivation. As and how creativity invades every aspect of our lives such as arts, business, science, education, etc., it becomes more and more important to identify what motivates people to persist in creative endeavours and to organize their activities around those motivators in a manner that encourages creative behaviour. The present study was designed to explore the relationship between creativity (verbal and non-verbal) and the four action modes that define an individual's conative style, namely, Fact Finder (FF), Follow Through (FT), Quick Start (Q) and Implementor (I). The sample comprised of 389 undergraduate and post-graduate students (male and female), in the age group of 18–24 years. Results of regression analysis suggested that the Fact Finder action mode is a significant contributor to overall creativity, especially verbal creativity. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.