Introduction
Creativity and attachment relationships in early childhood have long since been determined to be essential for healthy development. Previous studies have examined linkages between these fundamental developmental processes; however, there are still evident gaps in the role creativity and attachment play in young children. The study endeavors to clarify the relationship using factor analysis to derive the creativity profiles of 3-5-year-old children and subsequently examine the associations of the elicited creativity dimensions in relation to attachment patterns.
Creativity in childhood
Creativity has been described as the capability to generate new, unexpected ideas, solutions, or products that are appropriate in a given context (Kaufman & Sternberg, 2010). Characteristics of creativity. Creativity comprises several constituents. Drawing errors beyond the limits of arrangement (divergence); original ideas; and variations of use of mental or creative tools Research has perceived creativity as a complex, multifactorial attribute composed of variables such as flexibility, originality, elaboration, and problem solving (Miller et al., 2023). Both adult and child research confirms that domain-general creative thinking skills can be distinguished from domain-specific abilities utilizing the generative capability in various areas of art, like writing and visual arts. In the early childhood years, when cognition is still quite immature, overall creative potential as an individual difference factor that influences life trajectories starts taking shape.
Investigations distinguish between the ‘everyday’ and the ‘cognitive’ components of young children’s creativity . The creative behavior of everyday creativity includes the triumph of curiosity, imagination, and playfulness in daily activities. Cognitive facets denote the capability to create a lot of alternative ideas, solutions, or interpretations, reacting divergently to situational challenges. According to Lucas et al. (2021), there is a conceptual division between ‘little c’ and ‘big c’ creativity, with the former as a common imaginative engagement with the world compared to the latter as deliberate, effortful attempts to be creative. The two dominant underlining components of creative tendencies and behavioral profiles in childhood assessments were mostly enumerated in the research. In recent studies, the two-factor structure of everyday versus cognitive creativity was explicitly supported using exploratory factor analysis. The present research will apply confirmatory processes to further corroborate the pervasiveness of the measurement model.
Attachment Patterns in Childhood
According to attachment theory, attachment patterns emerge early via repeated interactions, shaping socioemotional adjustment trajectories (Jethava et al., 2022)). Secure attachment gives security in the presence of attachment figures as a safe haven. It encourages exploration, a desire to find out about the world, and a positive expectancy in relation to the others. However, insecure avoidant attachment is attributed to the unavailability of attachment figures. A subsequent avoidance of intimacy and extreme independence ensues as an adaptive yet out-of-balance emotional strategy. On the other hand, insecure, ambivalent, or resistant attachment occurs when the attachment figures behave inconsistently responsive. It produces anxiety about abandonment with poor regulation .
Countless studies have linked childhood attachment patterns to socio-emotional health. Secure attachment predicts a majority of better developmental outcomes, including higher self-esteem, better emotion regulation, coping strategies, and social skills . Meta-analyses have found moderate to large associations between insecure attachment styles and increased internalizing and externalizing problems that persist throughout adolescence (Dagan et al., 2021). Longitudinal research shows that early attachment leaves developmental imprints over time through complex pathways between neural, physiological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral systems, for better or worse. It emphasizes the paramount importance of security in the initial relationship between caregivers.
Creativity and Attachment
Little research directly investigates the link between creativity and engagement. Some research suggests that secure children may feel safer when engaging freely in creative activities and self-expression than their insecure peers, who are pushed by distress or defensiveness. Securely attached children will explore their environment more actively, perhaps exposing themselves to richer and more varied stimuli that stimulate creative cognition. . Additionally, secure children have a more positive view of themselves, which many other prominent theories of creativity highlight as facilitating the generation of ideas. New research shows that daily creative behaviors are negatively related to insecurity, but not avoidant attachment. Children in secure settings have significantly higher creativity than insecure adults, based on subjective memories. However, understanding the relationship between multidimensional creativity profiles and objective assessments of engagement during developmental years remains unclear.
Current Study and Hypotheses
The current study fills important gaps in the literature by investigating the link between creativity and attachment security. First, we used exploratory factor analysis to explore the components underlying various measures of creative tendencies obtained from teachers’ reports of 3- to 5-year-old children. Based on theory and supporting evidence, we expected a two-factor structure to emerge, reflecting “everyday” and “cognitive” aspects of creativity. . Regression techniques will then test whether these empirically established creativity factors assessed at age 5 are related to the dimensions of attachment anxiety and avoidance identified through the Child Attachment Interview (CAI) at age 3. The study predicts that kindergarten anxiety and avoidance negatively impact cognitive and creative aspects, indicating deficiencies in basic developmental factors. This could lead to insecure children lacking creative cognition. The study emphasizes the importance of caregiver relationships in developing a child’s full potential and suggests future research on mediating pathways for creative formation.
References
Dagan, O., Groh, A. M., Madigan, S., & Bernard, K. (2021). A Lifespan Development Theory of Insecure Attachment and Internalizing Symptoms: Integrating Meta-Analytic Evidence via a Testable Evolutionary Mis/Match Hypothesis. Brain Sciences, 11(9), 1226. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11091226
Jethava, V., Kadish, J., Kakonge, L., & Wiseman-Hakes, C. (2022). Early Attachment and the Development of Social Communication: A Neuropsychological Approach. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13(13). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.838950
Lucas, B., Spencer, E., & Stoll, L. (2021). Creative leadership to develop creativity and creative thinking in English schools A review of the evidence. https://www.creativityexchange.org.uk/asset/223
Miller, B. T., Camarda, A., Mercier, M., Burkhardt, J.-M., Morisseau, T., Bourgeois-Bougrine, S., Vinchon, F., El Hayek, S., Augereau-Landais, M., Mourey, F., Feybesse, C., Sundquist, D., & Lubart, T. (2023). Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration: Assessment, Certification, and Promotion of 21st Century Skills for the Future of Work and Education. Journal of Intelligence, 11(3), 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11030054
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