The Creative Self - What is it?
The creative self is the combination of attributes that each of us forms to make a unique place among others in our social interactions and to positively interpret our world.
Key elements include (a) Thinking, (b) Emotions, (c) Control, (d) Work, (e) Positive Humor.
Thinking - Being mentally active, open-minded; having the ability to be creative and experimental; having a sense of curiosity, a need to know and to learn; the ability to think both divergently and convergently when problem solving; the capacity to change one's thinking in order to manage stress; the ability to apply problem solving strategies in resolving social conflicts.
Emotions - Being aware of, or in touch with one's feelings; being able to express one's feelings appropriately; being able to enjoy positive emotions as well as being able to cope with negative emotions; having a sense of energy; avoiding chronic negative emotional states.
Control - Beliefs about your competence, confidence, and mastery (i.e., I can"); belief that you can usually achieve the goals you set out for yourself; being able to exercise individual choice through imagination, knowledge, and skill; having a sense of planfulness in life; being able to be direct in expressing one's needs (assertive).
Work - Being satisfied with one's work; having adequate financial security; feeling that one's skills are used appropriately; feeling that one can manage one's workload; feeling a sense of job security; feeling appreciated in the work one does; having satisfactory relationships with others on the job; being satisfied with activities in work and play which one chooses to perform; having a playful attitude toward life tasks; the ability to cope with stress in the workplace.
Positive Humor - Being able to laugh at one's own mistakes and the unexpected things that happen; the ability to laugh appropriately at others; having the capacity to see the contradictions and predicaments of life in an objective manner such that one can gain new perspectives; enjoying the idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies of life; the ability to use humor to accomplish even serious tasks.
