Self-Regulation of Creativity: Toward Measuring Strategies of Creative Action

How are creative ideas transformed into creative behavior, products, and achievements? We posit that this transformation is facilitated by self-regulation of creativity. The present study develops a self-report scale and provides initial evidence of validity in assessing two major aspects of self-regulation of creativity: expectations about the creative process before the task and strategies of regulation during the creative task. Cross-validated factor analyses identified three dimensions of expectations: expecting a nonlinear process, importance of task completion, and expecting criticism, and four dimensions of regulation strategies during the creative process: adjusting approach, planning, fragile regulation, and embracing risk. Convergent and discriminant validity was supported in relation to measures of general self-regulation, personality, well-being, and motivation. Finally, we provide support for the predictive validity of self-regulation of creativity scales for creative achievement beyond openness to experience. We discuss the need for research on the nature of the process of transforming and realizing creative ideas.