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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–3Cite as

Spontaneity

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Synonyms

Being free; Lack of pretension; Living in the moment; Naturalness; Unconstrained

Definition

Spontaneity is defined as “an appropriate response to a situation or a new response to an old situation” (Moreno 1953 cited in Kipper and Hundal 2005, p. 120). Spontaneity is also viewed as a theory that is claimed as the bedrock of psychodrama – “a method of clinical intervention and group therapy” (Moreno 1941, 1953, 1964 cited in Kipper 2000, p. 33). On the other hand, spontaneity is also seen as a way of life or philosophy (Kipper and Hundal 2005). This two-pronged perspective on spontaneity is detailed as follows: “as a philosophy, the idea of a spontaneous person reflected a way of living and a general outlook on life that valued taking advantage of living ‘in the moment’” (Kipper and Hundal 2005, p. 119). As a therapeutic agent, spontaneity was said to be a specific curative factor believed to increase openness, reduce inhibitions, and enhance one’s psychological well-being...

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References

  • Collins, L. A., Kumar, V. K., Treadwell, T. W., & Leach, E. (1997). The personal attitude scale: A scale to measure spontaneity. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama and Sociometry, 49(4), 147–156.

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  • Kellar, H., Treadwell, T., Kumar, V. K., & Leach, E. (2002). The personal attitude scale-II: A revised measure of spontaneity. The International Journal of Action Methods: Psychodrama, Skill Training, and Role Playing, 55, 35–46.

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  • Kipper, D. (2000). Spontaneity: Does the experience match the theory? The International Journal of Action Methods, 53, 33–47.

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  • Kipper, D., & Hundal, J. (2005). The spontaneity assessment inventory: The relationship between spontaneity and nonspontaneity. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama and Sociometry, 58, 119–129.

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  • Kipper, D., Green, D., & Prorak, A. (2010). The relationship among spontaneity, impulsivity, and creativity. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 5, 39–53.

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  • Meyer, A. (1941). Spontaneity. Sociometry, 4, 150–167.

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  • Moreno, J. L. (1955). Theory of spontaneity-creativity. Sociometry, 18, 105–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Anthropology and Psychology, College of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines, Baguio, Philippines

    Rozel S. Balmores-Paulino

Authors
  1. Rozel S. Balmores-Paulino
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Correspondence to Rozel S. Balmores-Paulino .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    John F. Rauthmann

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Balmores-Paulino, R.S. (2018). Spontaneity. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1917-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1917-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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