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The unexplored territory of aesthetic needs and the development of the Aesthetic Needs Scale

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Listed:
  • Agata Hiacynta Świątek
  • Małgorzata Szcześniak
  • Hanna Borkowska
  • Michał Stempień
  • Karolina Wojtkowiak
  • Rhett Diessner

Abstract

Human needs, and their fulfillment, are the building blocks of human development, personality, and well-being. However, no published paper in the field of psychology has focused on exploring aesthetic needs. Maslow (1986) gave the topic little more than a paragraph; and Dweck [1], in her elegant Unified Theory of Motivation, Personality, and Development, never mentions aesthetic needs. The aim of this article is to describe developing a scale for measuring the intensity of aesthetic needs. The structure, psychometric properties, and criterion-related validity of the scale were verified with three independent samples (total N = 592). The results of an EFA and two CFAs indicated a three-factor structure: 1) the need to aestheticize everyday life (aesthetic experiences of everyday objects and events unrelated to art, such as the presentation of food or the appearance of a workspace, etc.); 2) the need for contact with aesthetic creations (the arts); 3) the need to aestheticize the built and natural environments (urban spaces, architecture, parks, wild nature, etc.). In addition, our criterion-related convergent validity studies have shown that people with high aesthetic needs are characterized by experiencing more intense experiences in contact with works of art, have higher aesthetic competence in art, are more intensely involved in four forms of beauty, have a higher ability to integrate beauty, a stronger trait gratitude, curiosity about nature, greater sensitivity to disgust, and the need for internal and external stimulation. This scale may prove useful in research on individual differences and the psychology of aesthetics.

Suggested Citation

  • Agata Hiacynta Świątek & Małgorzata Szcześniak & Hanna Borkowska & Michał Stempień & Karolina Wojtkowiak & Rhett Diessner, 2024. "The unexplored territory of aesthetic needs and the development of the Aesthetic Needs Scale," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(3), pages 1-31, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0299326
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299326
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jinhyung Kim & Patricia Holte & Frank Martela & Colin Shanahan & Zhanhong Li & Hong Zhang & Nikolett Eisenbeck & David F. Carreno & Rebecca J. Schlegel & Joshua A. Hicks, 2022. "Experiential appreciation as a pathway to meaning in life," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(5), pages 677-690, May.
    2. Nadine Correia Santos & Patrício Soares Costa & Liliana Amorim & Pedro Silva Moreira & Pedro Cunha & Jorge Cotter & Nuno Sousa, 2015. "Exploring the Factor Structure of Neurocognitive Measures in Older Individuals," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, April.
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