Personality Traits and Creation Process of Distinguished Scientists in Taiwan

Author: Chao-Yi Chen(Department of Special Education,National Taiwan Normal University)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 45, No.1
Date：April 2000
Pages：27-45
DOI：10.6300/JNTNU.2000.45(1).02

Abstract：

The study targedted five of the distinguished domestic scientist both in chemistry and physics. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews, literature reviews, and seminars. The main purposes were directed toward examining personality traits and creation process of the targeted subjects. The following were three major findings: A.Definition of creativity and the most creative accomplishments All the five scientists of interest defined the scientific creativity in terms of three major components: challenge, novelty, and originality. Challenge refers to exploring the unknown world of science in order to keep development of science going. Novelty is interpreted in the context of untouched problems and untried problem-solving strategies. Originality here means original perspectives and unique findings. Their most original outcomes were attributed from a great deal of effort and endeavor and, accordingly, earned many rewards, making them pioneers or top scientists in the field. B.Personality traits Data obtained from the interviews reveals clusters of personality traits, which fall into 3 categories: (a) general: perseverance, resourcefulness, and attentiveness; (b) thinking: curiosity, problem-solving, and critique; (c) learning: positiveness and self-motivation. C.Creation process The creation process involved all the five subjects could be delineated as the following 5 steps: (a) inspiration and motivation; (b) conception and definition of topic; (c)structuring of thinking; (d) hypotheses testing and experimental design; and (e) presentation of research findings.

Keywords：Creativity, Creation Process, Distinguished scientists, Personality Traits

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