The Relationship Between Childhood Neglect and Malevolent Creativity: The Mediating Effect of the Dark Triad Personality.

Xuji Jia,Lin Lin,Qingjin Wang

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.613695

Abstract

In addition to what we know as benevolent creativity, which involves originality and usefulness, creativity also includes malevolent creativity, which involves the application of creative ideas to intentionally harm others. This study aimed to explore the environmental and individual predictors of malevolent creativity. We investigated the relationship among childhood neglect, Dark Triad personality traits and malevolent creativity and examined the mediating role of Dark Triad personality. A large sample (N = 991) of Chinese undergraduate students completed the childhood neglect scale, the 12-item Dirty Dozen and the Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that childhood neglect was positively related to individual malevolent creativity, and the Dark Triad partially mediated this relationship. Additionally, gender differences were found, such that childhood neglect had a stronger effect on malevolent creativity through the Dark Triad among males than females. The results were discussed from the perspectives of life history theory and social information processing theory.

Highlights

Creativity has valuable and beneficial effects on social development and the quality of personal life
The Dark Triad personality traits and malevolent creativity were negatively associated with gender separately (p < 0.001), indicating a higher level of dark traits and malevolent creativity for males, while there was no significant association between childhood neglect and gender (p > 0.05)
While many studies have explored the predictors of malevolent creativity from environmental and individual aspects (Clark and James, 1999; Lee and Dow, 2011; Harris et al, 2013; Baas et al, 2019), the current study was the first to examine whether childhood neglect was associated with malevolent creativity in the general population and to examine the mediating effect of the Dark Triad traits on this relationship

Summary

Introduction

Creativity has valuable and beneficial effects on social development and the quality of personal life. Cropley et al (2010) published a related monograph The Dark Side of Creativity, which gained widespread attention. Rogers (1959) pointed out that the dark side of creativity could have both positive and negative purposes; malevolent creativity and negative creativity can be distinguished. The relevant and practical importance of malevolent creativity has been validated and further developed in the area of terrorism and crime (Cropley and Cropley, 2011; Gill et al, 2013). The research on malevolent creativity contributes to people’s comprehensive understanding of creativity but, more importantly, warns people that creativity driven by malicious purposes may cause great harm to individuals and society. Academic research on malevolent creativity has great social value

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