CREATIVITY AND LIFE SATISFACTION OF OLDER ADULTS

Abstract

According to Norcross (1990), making personal adjustments in life is a continuous process. These adjustments may involve the very survival of the individual. Torrance (1957) found that creativity was a key component of the U.S. Air Force's survival training from 1951‐1957. The training taught air crewmen how to survive emergency or extreme conditions. Although the crews practiced in simulated situations, the actual emergency or extreme condition would be a new situation with no learned or practiced solution. The survival of the air crewmen, the ability to find a solution or to adapt to the situation, would require his or her creativity. Torrance (1957) linked creativity to personal adjustment. However, no empirical evidence has been found that supports a relationship between creativity and personal adjustment. Personal adjustment has been used interchangeably with life satisfaction, and there has been some discussion in the literature of a relationship existing between life satisfaction and creativity. This study examined the potential link between creativity and life satisfaction in the later years of life.