Description
Past research has shown that self-uncertainty facilitates minority opinion expression, and this deviation presumably reflects an effort to re-establish distinctiveness. The goal of the present study was to investigate self-uncertainty as a catalyst for creativity, as creativity is a form of normative deviation that may aid in assertion of distinctiveness. I proposed that uncertainty specifically related to the self should increase creativity, which is conceptualized as performance in the domains of originality, cognitive flexibility, and creative story generation. However, no such link was established. I had further expected that the need for uniqueness would mediate the proposed moderation, but as my primary effect did not hold true, meditational analyses become irrelevant. Additionally, in an attempt to replicate the findings of previous research, the same proposed mediated moderation was posited to hold true for minority group preference, possibly indicating that both creativity and minority group preference may stem from a common psychological state. Opposite to my predictions, uncertainty significantly decreased preference for the minority position. Implications of these results are discussed.
