The full article was published in: Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (March 2025)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000752
Abstract
In psychodrama, spontaneity is a state of readiness that propels individuals to respond in new and appropriate ways, serving as the vehicle through which creativity finds expression and acts as a catalyst for creative-adaptive responses to life changes and unexpected challenges. Given the limitations of previous attempts to measure spontaneity, this research, consisting of three consecutive studies grounded in psychodrama theory, aimed to develop and validate the State Spontaneity Scale in English. Study 1 defined the psychological construct of spontaneity by generating a pool of items based on responses from 108 international psychodrama experts. Study 2 identified the most suitable items reflecting the construct of spontaneity based on 13 experts’ and authors’ evaluations of the responses. Study 3 (N = 240) supported a 12-item State Spontaneity Scale measurement model, which showed that spontaneity could be measured as a latent construct underlying four interrelated factors: dynamic presence, readiness, intuition, and openness. The State Spontaneity Scale presented strong internal consistency reliability, and its correlations with other measures (spontaneity, state anxiety, and creative adaptability) pointed to convergent and discriminant validity. The discussion interprets the findings in light of psychodrama theory and empirical research. In addition, associations between spontaneity, theater, creativity, and divergent thinking are offered to encourage future studies.
Authors
Gianmarco Biancalani, Certified Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Psychodramatist, and PhD Candidate at the School of Creative Arts Therapies University of Haifa, Israel (email address: gianmarco.biancalani@gmail.com).
Hod Orkibi, Certified Psychodramatist, director of the Drama & Health Science Lab, and Associate Professor at the School of Creative Arts Therapies, University of Haifa, Israel (website: https://dandh.haifa.ac.il/?p=45, email address: horkibi@univ.haifa.ac.il).