An integrated dual-pathway model of multicultural experience and creativity

• Main Authors: ONG, Lay See, TAN, Yi Wen, CHENG, Chi-Ying
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2018
• Subjects: Creative conceptual expansion; Creativity; Knowledge; Multicultural experience; Multicultural identity integration; Multiculturalism; Norm elaboration; Multicultural Psychology; Psychology
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2670; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3927/viewcontent/Integrated_Dual_Pathway_Multicutural_Exp_Creativity_2018_afv.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In this chapter, we present the dual-pathway multicultural experience and creative knowledge (MEACK) model, depicting how multicultural experience influences creative performance through the building of two types of knowledge: content knowledge (the what of creativity) and normative knowledge (the how and why of creativity). The MEACK model also takes into account the role of multicultural identity integration (MII), an individual difference in the levels of integration among multiple cultural identities, by showing that MII moderates the two pathways. We posit that high MIIs, who see their identities as more compatible than low MIIs, are better able to experience creative conceptual expansion (i.e., the expansion of a concept’s boundaries to fit new situations) from their content knowledge sets and norm elaboration (i.e., the flexible application of normative knowledge across different contexts) from their normative knowledge sets. Theoretical implications and future directions with the MEACK model are discussed.