Emotional Creativity Test (ECI)

The Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI) was introduced in 1999 by psychologist James R. Averill at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to examine how individuals generate novel, effective, and authentic emotional experiences. While traditional psychology often treated emotions as involuntary reactions or fixed biological states, Averill proposed that emotional life can be actively developed, shaped, and refined. Emotional creativity does not refer to artistic talent or conventional intellect; instead, it describes a personal capacity to experience a rich, nuanced spectrum of feeling and to communicate those internal states in ways that are personally genuine and socially constructive.

The first facet evaluated by the inventory is Emotional Preparedness. This dimension reflects your willingness to explore, understand, and learn from emotional reactions—both your own and those of others. People who score high in emotional preparedness actively reflect on why they feel the way they do and view emotional growth as an ongoing endeavor comparable to intellectual learning. They tend to pay close attention to subtle shifts in mood, read interpersonal dynamics attentively, and deliberately cultivate psychological readiness for challenging or unfamiliar situations.

The second facet, Emotional Novelty, captures the tendency to experience complex, unusual, or original feelings that may not fit standard cultural labels. A person with high novelty might experience blends of seemingly contradictory emotions—such as simultaneous grief, joy, and relief—or notice internal states that ordinary language struggles to capture. This quality involves a departure from automatic, scripted emotional reactions in favor of fresh, idiosyncratic responses to everyday life, art, and personal relationships.

The third facet, Emotional Expression (scientifically identified as Effectiveness and Authenticity), measures how skillfully and honestly an individual communicates their emotional life. Experiencing unusual emotions is only one part of the construct; expressing them effectively allows a person to build meaningful connections, navigate conflicts, and respond constructively to novel circumstances. Authentic expression does not mean vocalizing every passing impulse without filter, but rather communicating genuine emotions in ways that serve personal integrity and interpersonal harmony.

Empirical research with the ECI demonstrates that emotional creativity is linked to self-awareness, psychological flexibility, and problem-solving in social domains. However, having a distinctive emotional style is not inherently superior to a conventional one, nor does it guarantee greater happiness. Emotional novelty without effective regulation can sometimes feel overwhelming, while a lower score simply reflects a steady, familiar, and private emotional style rather than any personal deficit. Emotional creativity represents a descriptive disposition rather than a clinical benchmark.

If your results include population comparison markers, please note that these reference points are estimated from published research samples and statistical distributions rather than validated standardized percentiles. They are intended solely to provide broader conceptual context for interpreting your relative balance across the three dimensions.

This online assessment is based on the published Emotional Creativity Inventory developed by James R. Averill, but it is not affiliated with the original author or research institutions. The test is provided strictly for educational and personal self-reflection purposes. It is not a clinical assessment, diagnostic tool, or measure of psychological health, and it should not replace professional psychological advice or evaluation.

References

• Averill, J. R. (1999). Individual Differences in Emotional Creativity: Structure and Correlates. Journal of Personality, 67(2), 331-371.