Teresa Amabile has researched and written about creativity for 45 years. Beginning with a series of empirical and theoretical papers in the 1970s and 1980s, she was instrumental in establishing the social psychology of creativity – the study of how the social environment can influence creative behavior, primarily by influencing motivational state. Originally focusing on experimental studies of individual creativity, Teresa’s research expanded to non-experimental, field-based studies that also encompassed individual productivity, team creativity, and organizational innovation. Her more recent research incorporates the study of creativity into broader investigations of two topics: the day-by-day psychological experience and performance of people doing creative work inside organizations, and American professionals’ experience of transitioning to retirement.

Teresa’s scholarly work has appeared in a variety of psychology and organizational behavior journals, as well as her books, including The Social Psychology of Creativity (1983), its update, Creativity in Context (1996 ), Growing Up Creative (1989), and The Progress Principle (2011).

Teresa has received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israel Organizational Behavior Conference, as well as other honors and grants.

Teresa holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Canisius College and a Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University.

Interests

• Creativity and Innovation

• Motivation in the Workplace

• Transition to Retirement