Creativity and Ego Defense Mechanisms: Some Exploratory Empirical Evidence

Abstract

Two samples of college students (n = 40 each) drawn from a larger sample (N = 188) were identified as high creative or low creative based on their performance on 5 measures of creativity that included both tests of creativity and actual creative production such as haiku poetry. The students were then interviewed with a semistructured procedure, and the video recordings of the interviews assessed as to the utilization of each of 15 ego defense styles. Thirteen of the 15 ego defense styles showed statistically significant mean differences, with high creatives scoring higher on schizoid fantasy, acting out, dissociation, displacement, reaction formation, intellectualization, humor, suppression, and sublimation; they scored lower on projection, passive aggressiveness, repression, and altruism.