Notes – Unit II

Self Esteem: Meaning & Importance , Components of

self esteem, High and low self esteem, measuring of self
esteem and its effectiveness , Personality mapping test,
Appreciative Intelligence.

What is Self Esteem ?

In psychology, the term self-esteem is used to describe
a person's overall subjective sense of personal worth or
value. In other words, self-esteem may be defined as
how much you appreciate and like yourself regardless of
the circumstances. Your self-esteem is defined by many
factors including:
 Self-confidence
 Feeling of security
 Identity
 Sense of belonging
 Feeling of competence
Other terms that are often used interchangeably with
self-esteem include self-worth, self-regard, and self-
respect.
Self-esteem tends to be lowest in childhood and
increases during adolescence, as well as adulthood,
eventually reaching a fairly stable and enduring level.
This makes self-esteem similar to the stability of
personality traits over time.

Why Self-Esteem Is Important ?

Self-esteem impacts your decision-making process, your
relationships, your emotional health, and your
overall well-being. It also influences motivation, as
people with a healthy, positive view of themselves
understand their potential and may feel inspired to
take on new challenges. People with healthy self-
esteem:
 Have a firm understanding of their skills
 Are able to maintain healthy relationships with others

because they have a healthy relationship with

themselves
 Have realistic and appropriate expectations of themselves

and their abilities

 Understand their needs and are able to express them

People with low self-esteem tend to feel less sure of their

abilities and may doubt their decision-making
process. They may not feel motivated to try novel
things because they don’t believe they're capable of
reaching their goals. Those with low self-esteem
may have issues with relationships and expressing
their needs. They may also experience low levels of
confidence and feel unlovable and unworthy.
People with overly high self-esteem may overestimate their
skills and may feel entitled to succeed, even without
 the abilities to back up their belief in themselves.
They may struggle with relationship issues and
block themselves from self-improvement because
they are so fixated on seeing themselves as perfect.

Tips for improving your self esteem

1. Be nice to yourself
That little voice that tells you you’re killin’ it (or not) is way
more powerful than you might think. Make an effort to
be kind to yourself and, if you do slip up, try to
challenge any negative thoughts. A good rule of thumb
is to speak to yourself in the same way that you’d speak
to your mates. This can be really hard at first, but
practise makes perfect. If you want a few pointers,
check out our tips for talking yourself up.
Try: Writing down three things that you like about yourself.
2. You do you
Comparing yourself to other people is a sure-fire way to
start feeling crummy. Try to focus on your own goals
and achievements, rather than measuring them against
someone else’s. Nobody needs that kind of pressure!
3. Get movin’
Exercise is a great way to increase motivation, practise
setting goals and build confidence. Breaking a sweat
also cues the body to release endorphins, the feel-good
hormones.
4. Nobody’s perfect
Always strive to be the best version of yourself, but it’s also
important to accept that perfection is an unrealistic
goal.
5. Remember that everyone makes mistakes
You’ve got to make mistakes in order to learn and grow, so
try not to beat yourself up if you forget to hit CTRL+S
on a super-important assignment. Everyone’s been
there.
6. Focus on what you can change
It’s easy to get hung up on all the things that are out of your
control, but it won’t achieve much. Instead, try to focus
your energy on identifying the things that are within
your control and seeing what you can do about them.
Read more about how you can accept things that are
out of your control.
Try: Writing down one thing that you're not happy with, and
three ways you could change it.
7. Do what makes you happy
If you spend time doing the things you enjoy, you’re more
likely to think positively. Try to schedule in a little
you-time every day. Whether that’s time spent reading,
cooking or just conking out on the couch for a bit, if it
makes you happy, make time for it.
 
 8. Celebrate the small stuff
You got up on time this morning. Tick. You poached your
eggs to perfection. Winning. Celebrating the small
victories is a great way to build confidence and start
feeling better about yourself.
Try: Writing down three things you did well at the end of
each day.
9. Be a pal
Being helpful and considerate to other people will certainly
boost their mood, but it’ll also make you feel pretty
good about yourself
10. Surround yourself with a supportive squad
Find people who make you feel good about yourself and
avoid those who tend to trigger your negative thinking.

What are the 4 components of self-esteem

?
Your self-esteem is made up from four attitudes you
have about yourself: your confidence, your sense of identity,
feeling a sense of belonging and being self-assured in your
abilities. 
Your self-confidence
Self-confidence is all about your sense of security you
have in yourself and in your life. You can only branch out
 and grow if you feel secure that your needs are being met.
Having your needs met means you have things like a place
to live, physical health, and stable finances.
Your identity
Your sense of identity is important to your self esteem
because it is the knowledge you have about yourself. This
can include your confidence in your body, your gender,
your sexuality, your job, your beliefs, your culture, or
anything else about yourself. It’s helpful to be confident in
these things because they can help you understand what you
need and what you want in life.
Feeling like you belong
Belonging is all about feeling welcome and an active
part of where we actually are in life, whether that’s in your
school, your workplace, your family, or the other groups
you’re a part of. Sometimes, if you don’t feel belonging in
one group you’re in, like your workplace, you can find your
sense of belonging in another group, like your family or
friends.
Feeling confident in your abilities
It’s important to feel confident in your abilities so that
you can control what happens to you in life. If you’re
confident in what you can do, you can handle big challenges
and make the changes you need to make to respond to them.
However, being confident in your abilities isn’t just about
succeeding. It’s about learning from your mistakes and
being resilient in the face of failure.
 High Self Esteem
High self esteem means that you believe in yourself
and know that you are a great addition to this world.
You recognize that you might have a few weaknesses,
but you also have a lot of strengths which really shape
up who you are. Your glass is always “half full”.

It’s great to have a group of friends and family that

support your self esteem by recognizing your strengths.
The world would be a boring place if everybody had
the same strengths and weaknesses! Here’s an example
of friends encouraging each other’s self esteem:

Naomi says “I’m really good at organization and

planning, but I’m not the greatest cook. So, I can plan
my friend’s birthday party and I’ll ask Mike to cook for
us.”

Mike on the other hand says, “I’m a great cook and I

love to decorate, but I can’t plan my friend’s birthday
party – I would never know where to start! I wonder if
Naomi can plan it and I’ll make the food?”

The two friends recognize their own strengths as

something they can contribute, and recognize their
weaknesses as an opportunity to encourage their
friend’s strengths. This is an awesome way to help
build self esteem.
 Low Self Esteem
Low self esteem means that you don’t believe in
yourself. Often you compare yourself to other people, and
find that you ‘don’t measure up’, which is discouraging.
You tend to focus on your weaknesses, and don’t focus on
your strengths. Your glass is always “half empty”.

If you feel that you have low self esteem, remember

this: you are such a valuable addition to this world. Just like
everybody else, you are good at so many things which will
help make our world a better place. You don’t have to live
with low self esteem – you can start working toward getting
high self esteem today! Read above what we have to say
about high self esteem, and try to see if you can make that
happen in your life. For some other great ideas on building
your self esteem, check out our article “Self Esteem: Where
Can I Get More?”

Remember that you are important. Your life counts,

and you can make a difference in this world. If you ever
need to talk about this or anything else, feel free to get in
touch with us. We’re here for you.

Measuring of self esteem

 A review of the literature indicates that very little
attention has been devoted to measurement problems
plaguing the study of self-esteem and (b) few studies
employ more than one type of self-esteem instrument. This
study addresses these issues by using eight measures of
self-esteem involving self-reports, ratings byothers, and a
projective instrument. Their intercorrelations are examined
to provide preliminary validational evidence; then,
confirmatory factor analysis is used to construct
measurement models and further assess the validity of the
measures. The results suggest that two traditional
questionnaires and a personal interview are valid in
measuring experienced self-esteem, and three measures
involving ratings by others are valid in measuring presented
self-esteem These findings are consistent with previous
multidimensional conceptualizations of self-esteem,
indicating that a variety of methods is necessary to
adequately measure selfconcept. Self-esteem is a central
focus of research examining human personality, and yet the
conceptualization and operationalization of this variable
have been both haphazard and inconclusive. There is little
consensus on a definition; there is a diverse range of
measurement procedures; and, in many cases, there are
weak or nonexistant correlations among indicators. Hence,
various findings relating to self-esteem are not comparable
(Wells & Marwell, 1976; Wylie, 1974, 1979). Shavelson,
Hubner, and Stanton's (1976) conclusion remains true
today; that is, "Self-concept research has addressed itself to
substantive problems before problems of definition,
measurement, and interpretation have been resolved" (p.
410). Yet studies of the measurement problems in
 selfesteem research are rare and inconsequential. A few
studies examined the convergent and discriminant validity
of self-report.

Its effectiveness
Self-esteem plays a vital role as a contributor for
achievement. This study is proposed to examine the
effects of self-esteem interventions towards academic
achievement. Research was conducted with Pretest-
posttest of quasi-experimental design. Three groups
from undergraduate psychology program (n=90),
(male=12, female=78), (age 22-25) were selected
with convenient sampling method. The Rosenberg
self-esteem (Rosenberg 1965) scale was used to
assess self-esteem, and grades were collected from
academic division after the completion of academic
semester. Students were divided in three groups'
intervention group (n=30), placebo group (n=30) and
control group (n=30). All groups received different
treatment based on group plan, per week 45 minutes,
for 12 weeks. Intervention group received self-esteem
interventions, and placebo group were provided with
some material related to self-esteem, control group
received only sessions for discussion related to their
activities per week.

Personality mapping test

 A personality test is a tool used to assess
human personality. Personality testing and
assessment refer to techniques designed to
measure the characteristic patterns of traits that
people exhibit across various situations.
Personality tests can be used to help clarify a
clinical diagnosis, guide therapeutic
interventions, and help predict how people may
respond in different situations.
Personality is something that we
informally assess and describe every day. When
we talk about ourselves and others, we frequently
refer to different characteristics of an individual's
personality. Psychologists do much the same
thing when they assess personality but on a more
systematic and scientific level.
Personality tests are administered for a
number of different purposes, including:
 Assessing theories
 Evaluating the effectiveness of
therapy
 Diagnosing psychological problems
 Looking at changes in personality
 Screening job candidates3
Personality tests are also sometimes used
in forensic settings to conduct risk assessments,
establish competence, and in child custody
disputes.4 Other settings where personality
testing may be used are in school psychology,
career and occupational counseling, relationship
counseling, clinical psychology, and employment
testing.

Appreciative Intelligence
Appreciative Intelligence provides a new answer to what
enables successful people to dream up their
extraordinary and innovative ideas; why
employees, partners, colleagues, investors, and
other stakeholders join them on the path to their
goals, and how they achieve these goals despite
obstacles and challenges. It is not simple optimism.
People with appreciative intelligence are realistic
and action oriented—they have the ability not just
to identify positive potential, but to devise a course
of action to take advantage of it.

Drawing on their own original research and recent

discoveries in psychology and cognitive
neuroscience, Thatchenkery and Metzker outline
the evidence for appreciative intelligence, detail its
specific characteristics, and show how you can
develop this skill and use it in your own life and
work. They show how the most successful leaders
are able to spread appreciative intelligence
throughout an organization, and they offer tools
and exercises you can use to increase your own
 level of appreciative intelligence and so become
more creative, resilient, successful, and personally
fulfilled.

How to develop appreciative

intelligence
 Appreciative intelligence is a deliberate act . Its
intention is for you to connect emotionally with
yourself and your surroundings to awaken
sleeping qualities. In other words, to boost your
self-esteem and self-confidence.
 It consists of leaving aside indifference or fear to

recognize the value of each thing, person, lived

experience, and situation.
 You must accept the negative, the adverse, and even

the tragic but without surrendering to it all. One

must choose (appreciate) the opportunities that
present themselves and the positive things life
can still offer.
 Within every day of your routine, there are many

changes you can make to invest in happiness and

well-being.
To conclude, as Alexandre Dumas said, “Life is so
uncertain that one must take advantage of any
moment of happiness that appears, however
small.” Knowing how to appreciate those flashes
of emotion, potential, and opportunity that exist
 in your reality can make a difference at any given
time.
Thus, apply this interesting approach and make it your
own. The changes can be amazing!

The three components of

appreciative intelligence
Appreciative intelligence is a skill everyone has, in
theory. Something humans can apply at any
given time. As we mentioned above, this type of
construct was coined by Professor Tojo
Thatchenkery in the early 2000s. He did so after
exhaustive research with which he tried to
understand what people and companies that
achieved success had in common.
Three components build this type of intelligence
or psychological competence , according to this
expert in change and development processes.
 Focus on the present. It’s basic and essential to have a

well-honed intuition to probe opportunities. And

to see the current complexity in the midst of it all.
For instance, what dimensions should you attend
to, how to take advantage of them, and then
enhance them. No matter what happened in the
past, the real opportunities are here and now and
you should appreciate them.
 Try to appreciate the positive of each

situation. Appreciative intelligence isn’t

nourished by illusionistic or simplistic
 positivism. In reality, this perspective doesn’t
rule out or turn its gaze to difficulties or
adversity. Instead, it takes them into account,
accepts them, and understands them. However,
know that in order to get the best out of yourself,
you must recognize what’s your best virtue, your
most valuable asset, and make it your secret
weapon.
 Visualize the future realistically (but specifying

desired goals). If you want to advance, either as

individuals or as a company, you must specify
goals. Those purposes must be the engine of your
daily life and you must place all your motivation,
commitment, and hope so that their outcomes
help you progress.
 Notes – Unit III
Emotional intelligence (otherwise known as emotional
quotient or EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and
manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve
stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others,
overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

MEANING OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to
perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Some
researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be
learned and strengthened, while others claim it's an inborn
characteristic.
The ability to express and control emotions is essential,
but so is the ability to understand, interpret, and respond
to the emotions of others. Imagine a world in which you
 could not understand when a friend was feeling sad or
when a co-worker was angry. Psychologists refer to this
ability as emotional intelligence, and some experts even
suggest that it can be more important than IQ in your
overall success in life.
 COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
BY RITIKA GUPTA

An American psychologist who helped to popularize

emotional intelligence, there are five key elements to it:
1. Self-awareness.
2. Self-regulation.
3. Motivation.
4. Empathy.
5. Social skills.
The more that you, as a leader, manage each of these
areas, the higher your emotional intelligence. So, let's look
at each element in more detail and examine how you can
grow as a leader.

1. Self-awareness
If you're self-aware, you always know how you feel, and you
know how your emotions and your actions can affect the people
around you. Being self-aware when you're in a leadership
position also means having a clear picture of your strengths and
weaknesses , and it means behaving with humility
So, what can you do to improve your self-awareness?
  Keep a journal – Journals help you improve your self-
awareness. If you spend just a few minutes each day writing
down your thoughts, this can move you to a higher degree of
self-awareness.
 Slow down – When you experience anger or other strong

emotions, slow down to examine why. Remember, no matter

what the situation, you can always choose how you react to it.
(Our article on Managing Your Emotions at Work  will
help you understand what your emotions are telling you.)

2. Self-regulation

Leaders who regulate themselves effectively rarely verbally

attack others, make rushed or emotional decisions, stereotype
people, or compromise their values. Self-regulation is all about
staying in control.
This element of emotional intelligence, according to Goleman,
also covers a leader's flexibility and commitment to personal
accountability .
So, how can you improve your ability to self-regulate?
 Know your values – Do you have a clear idea of where you
absolutely will not compromise? Do you know
what values  are most important to you? Spend some time
examining your "code of ethics." If you know what's most
important to you, then you probably won't have to think twice
when you face a moral or ethical decision – you'll make the
right choice.
 Hold yourself accountable – If you tend to blame others

when something goes wrong, stop. Make a commitment to

 admit to your mistakes and to face the consequences,
whatever they are. You'll probably sleep better at night, and
you'll quickly earn the respect of those around you.
 Practice being calm – The next time you're in a challenging
situation, be very aware of how you act. Do you relieve your
stress by shouting at someone else? Practice deep-breathing
exercises to calm yourself. Also, try to write down all of the
negative things you want to say, and then rip it up and throw it
away. Expressing these emotions on paper (and not showing
them to anyone!) is better than speaking them aloud to your
team. What's more, this helps you challenge your reactions to
ensure that they're fair!

3. Motivation

Self-motivated leaders work consistently toward their goals, and

they have extremely high standards for the quality of their work.
How can you improve your motivation?
 Re-examine why you're doing your job – It's easy to forget
what you really love about your career. So, take some time to
remember why you wanted this job. If you're unhappy in your
role and you're struggling to remember why you wanted it, try
the Five Why technique to find the root of the problem.
Starting at the root often helps you look at your situation in a
new way.
And make sure that your goal statements are fresh and
energizing. For more on this, see our article on Goal Setting .
 Know where you stand – Determine how motivated you are
to lead. Our Leadership Motivation Assessment  can help
 you see clearly how motivated you are in your leadership role.
If you need to increase your motivation to lead, it directs you
to resources that can help.
 Be hopeful and find something good – Motivated leaders are
usually optimistic , no matter what problems they face.
Adopting this mindset might take practice, but it's well worth
the effort.
Every time you face a challenge, or even a failure, try to find
at least one good thing about the situation. It might be
something small, like a new contact, or something with long-
term effects, like an important lesson learned. But there's
almost always something positive, if you look for it.

4. Empathy

For leaders, having empathy is critical to managing a successful

team or organization. Leaders with empathy have the ability to
put themselves in someone else's situation. They help develop
the people on their team, challenge others who are acting
unfairly, give constructive feedback, and listen to those who
need it.
If you want to earn the respect and loyalty of your team, then
show them you care by being empathic.
How can you improve your empathy?
 Put yourself in someone else's position – It's easy to support
your own point of view. After all, it's yours! But take the time
to look at situations from other people's perspectives. See our
 article on Perceptual Positions  for a useful technique for
doing this.
 Pay attention to body language – Perhaps when you listen to

someone, you cross your arms, move your feet back and forth,
or bite your lip. This body language  tells others how you
really feel about a situation, and the message you're giving
isn't positive! Learning to read body language can be a real
asset in a leadership role, because you'll be better able to
determine how someone truly feels. This gives you the
opportunity to respond appropriately.
 Respond to feelings – You ask your assistant to work late –

again. And although he agrees, you can hear the

disappointment in his voice. So, respond by addressing his
feelings. Tell him you appreciate how willing he is to work
extra hours, and that you're just as frustrated about working
late. If possible, figure out a way for future late nights to be
less of an issue (for example, give him Monday mornings off).

5. Social Skills

Leaders who do well in the social skills element of emotional

intelligence are great communicators. They're just as open to
hearing bad news as good news, and they're expert at getting
their team to support them and be excited about a new mission
or project.
Leaders who have good social skills are also good at managing
change and resolving conflicts diplomatically. They're rarely
satisfied with leaving things as they are, but they don't sit back
and make everyone else do the work: they set an example with
their own behavior.
 So, how can you build social skills?
 Learn conflict resolution – Leaders must know how to
resolve conflicts between their team members, customers, or
vendors. Learning conflict resolution skills is vital if you
want to succeed.
 Improve your communication skills – How well do you

communicate? Our communication quiz will help you

answer this question, and it will give useful feedback on what
you can do to improve.
 Learn how to praise others – As a leader; you can inspire

the loyalty of your team simply by giving praise when it's

earned. Learning how to praise others is a fine art, but well
worth the effort.

IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
The value and benefits of emotional intelligence are vast in
terms of personal and professional success. It is a core
competency in many vocations, can support the advancement
towards academic and professional success, improve
relationships, and boost communication skills, the list goes on.
Bar-On (1997) goes so far as to suggest that people with higher
EI tend to perform better than those with lower EI in life overall,
regardless of IQ. There has been much discussion regarding
the benefits of teaching EI in schools, with an emphasis on the
idea that emotionally intelligent children grow up to become
emotionally intelligent adults.
 Proficiency in EI is becoming a vital prerequisite in prolonged
or intense areas of ‘emotional work’ such as nursing, social
work, the service industry, and management roles. High EI
improves the physical and psychological health of people and
encourages academic and business performance (Bar-On &
Parker, 2000).
Emotional intelligence is an integral part of forming and
developing meaningful human relationships. Schutte et al (2001)
found that, over a series of studies, there were significant links
between high EI and more successful interpersonal relations.
Those participants who exhibited higher levels of EI also
showed a greater propensity for empathic perspective taking,
cooperation with others, developing affectionate and more
satisfying relationships as well as greater social skills in general.
So far, we have focused on the social and psychological benefits
of EI, it is important to note that self-awareness – the ability to
manage emotions and stress – and the ability to solve
personal, as well as interpersonal problems, are also
significantly related to physical health.
Chronic stress and the prolonged negative effects which
accompany it such as anger, depression, and anxiety can
precipitate the onset and progression of hypertension, heart
problems, and diabetes; increase susceptibility to viruses, and
infections; delay healing of wounds and injuries; and exacerbate
conditions such as arthritis and atherosclerosis (Bar-On, 2006,
Black & Garbutt, 2002).
The value of EI is immense; developing emotional intelligence
encourages many positive traits, from resilience to
communication, motivation to stress management, all of which
can be seen as conducive to effectively achieving personal,
physical and occupational health, and success.

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

EMOTIONS

People have been studying emotions for thousands of years.

Given the heavy focus on feelings, it’s not surprising that we
know quite a bit about them; what is surprising is the lack of
understanding around the necessity of both emotions for healthy
functioning.

What Are Positive Emotions?

Positive emotions are emotions that we typically find

pleasurable to experience. The Oxford Handbook of Positive
Psychology defines them as “pleasant or desirable situational
responses… distinct from pleasurable sensation and
undifferentiated positive affect” (Cohn & Fredrickson, 2009).
Basically, this definition is stating that positive emotions are
pleasant responses to our environment (or our own internal
dialogue) that are more complex and targeted than simple
sensations.
 What Are Negative Emotions?

On the other hand, negative emotions are those that we

typically do not find pleasurable to experience. Negative
emotions can be defined as “as an unpleasant or unhappy
emotion which is evoked in individuals to express a negative
effect towards an event or person” (Pam, 2013).
If an emotion discourages and drags you down, then it’s most
likely a negative emotion.

Examples: A List of Positive and Negative

Emotions

Examples of positive and negative emotions will vary based on

who you ask; even the definition of an emotion can vary based
on who answers the question. However you define emotion,
discerning between the two is an intuitive process—we seem to
“just know” which emotions are positive and which are
negative.
Some common positive emotions include:
 Love
 Joy
 Satisfaction
 Contentment
 Interest
 Amusement
 Happiness
 Serenity
  Awe
A few of the most commonly felt negative emotions are:
 Fear
 Anger
 Disgust
 Sadness
 Rage
 Loneliness
 Melancholy
 Annoyance

Healthy and unhealthy emotions

Emotions are small signals that help us evaluate the level of our
satisfaction with our lives. They can help us check whether we
are mentally healthy or we need to talk with the professional
who can help us decode and attach them which actually leads to
mental recovery. Furthermore, emotions represent the true guide
which shows us the right ways in our lives and the aspects of our
personalities and behavior that we need to develop.
To recognize the inner feelings when then appear represent the
skill called self-consciousness and it makes the base of
the emotional intelligence.
We need to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy
emotions, in order to have developed self-consciousness.

UNHEALTHY EXPRESSION
 Unhealthy emotions are characterized by great intensity and
long duration. The person often says that he or she feels their
heaviness but they don’t know how to free from them. They
hardly control them and experience immense negative influence
on everyday functioning (poor appetite, insomnia, inability to
concentrate, etc.).When the person experiences unhealthy
emotions, it mainly manifest as the sign that he/she is in a very
difficult moment in life or that he/she enters a certain
psychological magic circle that can lead to certain mental
disease. To prevent this situation, it takes time to go to the
psychologist or psychotherapist who can teach you the
techniques for the regulation of unhealthy emotions.

HEALTHY EXPRESSION
healthy emotions help us to continue with our lives even though
we don’t feel good about one situation. They are not so intensive
and long in duration.
Every unhealthy emotion can be compensated by its healthy
replacement, but it requires disciplined everyday work in
cooperation with the psychotherapist or counselor who can teach
us how to apply this fact.
Unhealthy negative emotions Healthy negative emotions
Anxiety Concern
Depression Sadness
Guilt Remorse
Shame Disappointed
Hurt Sorrow
Unhealthy anger Healthy anger
Unhealthy jealousy Healthy jealousy
Unhealthy envy Healthy envy
 THE SIX PHASE OF MODEL OF
CREATIVE THINKING
Geoff Petty’s ICEDIP model of the creative process outlines
six key working phases: inspiration, clarification, distillation,
perspiration, evaluation and incubation. During a particular
piece of creative work, each phase should be experienced many
times. They will not be visited in any particular order, and you
may visit a stage for hours or for just a few seconds. Petty refers
to each stage as having its own ‘mindset’ and believes that
creativity can be increased by making sure that you use the most
appropriate mindset at a given time. The model recognises,
therefore, the importance of thinking dispositions in the creative
process.

THE ICEDIP PHASES

INSPIRATION: 
In which you generate a large number of ideas.
This is the research or idea-generation phase. The process is
uninhibited and characterized by spontaneity, experimentation,
intuition and risk-taking.

Many people wonder where creative people find their good

ideas. The answer is, in amongst a huge pile of bad ones.
Creativity is like mining for diamonds, most of what you dig is
thrown away, but that doesn’t make the digging a waste of time.
 If you ‘can’t think of anything’ you are having difficulty with
this inspiration phase, perhaps because you are too self-critical
or expect good ideas to come too quickly.

CLARIFICATION:
In which you focus on your goals.
Key questions are:
What am I trying to achieve here? What am I trying to say?
What exactly is the problem I am trying to solve?

What would I like the finished work to be like?

And in more open-ended work:

How could I exploit the ideas I have had?
Where could this idea take me – what could I make of it?

The aim here is to clarify the purpose or objective of the work. It

is easy to lose your sense of direction while dealing with
detailed difficulties in creative work. So you need occasionally
to disengage from these obstacles and ask: ‘What exactly am I
trying to do?’ If you ‘get stuck’ in the middle of a project then,
rather than dreaming up a stream of alternatives, you need to
clarify exactly where you want to go. How to get there is then
often straightforward, or even blindingly obvious.
 DISTILLATION:
In which you look through the ideas you have generated and try
to determine which ones to work on.
Here ideas from the inspiration phase are sifted through and
evaluated usually in the light of the findings of a clarification
phase. The best ideas are chosen for further development, or are
combined into even better ideas.

This is a self-critical phase. It requires cool analysis and

judgment rather than slap-happy spontaneity. However, it should
not be so critical as to inhibit productivity entirely. Remember,
the ideas you have had are only ideas, not complete solutions –
you must not expect too much of them. It is where the ideas can
take you that counts, not the ideas themselves.

PERSPIRATION:
In which you work determinedly on your best ideas.
This is where the real work is done. You are involved in
determined and persistent effort towards your goal; this will
usually involve
further inspiration, distillation and clarification phases.
 EVALUATION:
This is a review phase in which you look back over your work in
progress.
In the evaluation phase you examine your work for strengths
and weaknesses. Then you need to consider how the work could
be improved, by removing weaknesses but also by capitalising
on its strengths. Then there will probably need to be
another perspiration phase to respond positively to the
suggestions for
improvement. Perspiration and evaluation phases often alternate
to form a cycle. Hardly anyone gets things perfect first time.
Creative people adapt to improve.