Components of Creativity in relation to Locus of Control: A Study of Students from Mysore University, India

The aim of the present study was to analyse and compare components of creativity of students with respect to their locus of control, age, gender and family type. The study was conducted on students of undergraduate and post graduate programmes of university of Mysore. The data was collected from a sample of 244 students, of which 112 were males and 132 were females. It was also found that 146 students had external locus of control and 98 students were found to have internal locus of control. The students were divided into three age groups, the first group consisted of students from 18 to 20 years, second group comprised of students from 21 to 23 years and the last group was formed of students from 24 to 26 years. When the family type was considered it was found that 81 students came from joint family and 163 students were from nuclear family. Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults and Levenson & Miller’s Locus of Control tests were administered on students and their socio – demographic details were taken. The results show that the respondents with external and internal locus of control significantly differ on components of creativity. The students with internal locus of control were found to be higher on Fluency, Elaboration, Flexibility, Figural Response, Norm Referenced Creativity, Criterion Referenced Creativity and Total Creativity. Females were found to be significantly better than males on Originality, Elaboration, Flexibility, Norm Referenced and Criterion Referenced creativity. Within the different age groups it was found that the students from the age groups of 21-23 and 18-20years were better than the students in age group of 24-26 on Elaboration, Verbal creativity, Norm Referenced and Criterion Referenced Creativity. The interaction of locus of control and age groups revealed that the students with internal locus of control in the age group of 18-23 were significantly higher on Fluency, Verbal Responses, Norm Referenced Creativity, and Criterion Referenced creativity as compared to students having external locus of control in this age group, while in the age group of 24-26 years, the externals are higher on these creativity factors as compared to internals. The results of students living in Nuclear and Joint families show that the students belonging to Nuclear families are significantly higher on Fluency, Norm Referenced Creativity and Overall Creativity as compared to the students living in Joint families. Interestingly the results also revealed that the students with internal locus of control living in nuclear families are significantly higher on norm referenced creativity and total creativity as compared to the one’s living in joint families while the results are vice versa for students with external locus of control.