Environmental and psychological factors that influence the creative excelllence of Brazilien and Portuguese women

There is increasing recognition of the importance of creativity for social development. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there were differences among Brazilian and Portuguese women recognized for their creative excellence in relation to the psychological and environmental factors that might impact their achievements. The sample was composed of 33 women; 18 who were socially recognized form excellence in creativity in different areas (nine Brazilian, nine Portuguese) were compared to 15 who were not recognized (nine Brazilian, six Portuguese). The instruments used were the Biographical Questionnaire of Creative Women, a semi-structured interview guide, and the Creative Production Analysis Guide. Nonparametric tests indicated significant differences in environmental factors and personal cognitive characteristics between the creative and non-creative women when compared within each country. However, no significant differences among Brazilian and Portuguese creative women were found, thus indicating that they present similar psychological profiles This research was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and by the Center of Educational Investigations (CIED—Centro de Investigac ~ao em Educac ~ao), projects number UID/CED/1661/2013 and UID/CED/1661/2016 from the Educational Institute, University of Minho (Portugal).