Creative Personality:

From Concept to Testimonials from Creative Professionals

Abstract

Creativity is a concept considered essential for individuals who are recognized as innovative and for the general population. The current situation challenges creative problem-solving in the most varied contexts, including that of Education. One of the dimensions that constitutes and predicts creativity is a set of characteristics that constitute the creative personality. Knowing, identifying and promoting such characteristics then become relevant guidelines in the educational daylife. In addition to presenting a theoretical framework for the concept of creative personality, this paper specifies the most consensual characteristics that constitute it and illustrates them based on expressions or phrases mentioned by recognized creative Portuguese professionals. It also discusses the importance of assessing these characteristics in individuals in general and their intentional development in formal or informal educational contexts. Some examples of assessment instruments and sugestions that promote creative personality thus will serve as a bridge between testimonies of high creativity and everyday creativity.