Objectification and creativity

The current research investigates whether and how the objectification of individuals may affect their creative performance. Drawing upon the objectification theory, I posit that being viewed or treated as a non-human instrument for organizational use (i.e., objectification) hinders individual creativity. Further, I examine the underlying mechanisms and propose that objectification dampens creativity by constraining felt autonomy, decreasing a sense of uniqueness, and undermining intrinsic motivation. In a series of studies, I find evidence largely in support of these predictions. I discuss the theoretical contributions of these findings and the practical implications for organizations and individual professionals.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Business Administration

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Yang, Shiyu

Contributors dc:contributor

• Loewenstein, Jeffrey
• Goncalo, Jack
• Kraatz, Matthew
• Mueller, Jennifer

• objectification
• creativity

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Shiyu Yang

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115856

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F115856