The relationship between creativity and cultural diversity: cognitive, motivational and ideological determinants

The argument that diversity enriches society is a common feature in public, political and academic discourse. Recent research has provided some empirical support for this idea with the finding that people who challenge traditional group boundaries (e.g., migrants, women in stereotypically incongruent occupational roles) can experience enhancements to their creative performance. In this thesis I test a new theoretical model, based on social categorization theory, which provides some precise conditions under which the experience of social and cultural diversity will be most beneficial to creative performance. Nine studies yielded support for this model, and the assertion that social and cultural diversity, when experienced in a way that challenges stereotypic expectations, can lead to enhanced creativity. Furthermore, the studies supported the notion that such stereotypically challenging diversity works through a cognitive process of inconsistency resolution that initially decreases, but with repeated engagement enhances, creative performance. The findings of this thesis support calls for further integration of social cognitive and cross-cultural perspectives, and explain why people may be initially resistant to diversity, but how in the longer term the experience can yield considerable benefits for individuals, groups and society at large.