Dynamics of positive emotions and creative potential

Pages:103-107
Rabindra Kumar Pradhan and Papri Nath (Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, UT Kharagpur, West Bangal)

The purpose of the paper is to explore the relationship between positive emotions and creative potentials. Positive emotional experiences and expressions provide a broad and flexible thought pattern and enhance creative or adaptive thinking. Existing literature indicates that three positive cognitive state-like capacities (hope, optimistic explanatory style and situation-specific self-efficacy) play an important role in explaining the relationship between positive emotions and creative potentials. The inclusion of these three mentioned capacities in the proposed model will facilitate the understanding of intra-individual processes that occur when an individual attempts to solve practical life problems in creative manner during a positive emotional state. The theoretical and practical implications of the paper are discussed within the framework of positive psychology.