What Maria Manturzewska has taught us about the personality of musicians

Personality and the role of personality traits in musical activity have been the subject of both reflective considerations and empirical studies or meta-analyses. Researchers in the field of music psychology have examined those personality traits that have a direct impact on the processes of learning, creating, and performing music. One of these researchers was Maria Manturzewska (1930-2020), a psychologist and one of the founders of the study of music psychology in Poland. She spent most of her life exploring the role of biographical and personality factors in professional musicians. Research conducted by Manturzewska in the 1960s and 1970s (and indeed subsequently) contributed to what we know about the personality of professional musicians. This article presents the most important results of her studies, casting a new light on personality structure and the traits necessary to become a successful professional musician. Additionally, the results of her research will be discussed in the context of current research on the topic.