Advisor Information
Roni Reiter-Palmon
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
3-3-2017 12:30 PM
End Date
3-3-2017 1:45 PM
Abstract
Creativity is usually considered a positive attribute, but what happens when creativity is used to generate a harmful product? Malevolent creativity (Cropley, Kaufman, & Cropley, 2008) refers to a clever, original product with negative valence, or intention to harm. The purpose of the current study was to examine predictors of malevolent creativity, expanding on existing knowledge and exploring a new area, specifically humor. Humorous primes were used to evoke malevolence, in the form of dialogues between two cartoon characters engaged in highly aggressive, moderately aggressive, self-defeating, or neutral exchanges. Subjects were then provided with a hypothetical situation (problem) and asked to develop a solution. Situations involved being paired for an academic project with a partner who is overtly aggressive while giving the final presentation in front of the class, or who engages in self-defeating behavior in the same setting. The results suggest that the effects of humor on malevolent creativity depend on the interaction between type and level of aggression in the humor prime, and the direction of the aggression in the problem type. Specifically, people faced with an aggressive person responded with high levels of malevolent creativity, unless they had been primed with moderate levels of other-directed aggressive humor. Alternately, people faced with self-defeating behavior in others responded with high levels of malevolent creativity, unless they had been primed with self-defeating humor.
The influence of humorous priming and situation type on generation of malevolently creative ideas
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Creativity is usually considered a positive attribute, but what happens when creativity is used to generate a harmful product? Malevolent creativity (Cropley, Kaufman, & Cropley, 2008) refers to a clever, original product with negative valence, or intention to harm. The purpose of the current study was to examine predictors of malevolent creativity, expanding on existing knowledge and exploring a new area, specifically humor. Humorous primes were used to evoke malevolence, in the form of dialogues between two cartoon characters engaged in highly aggressive, moderately aggressive, self-defeating, or neutral exchanges. Subjects were then provided with a hypothetical situation (problem) and asked to develop a solution. Situations involved being paired for an academic project with a partner who is overtly aggressive while giving the final presentation in front of the class, or who engages in self-defeating behavior in the same setting. The results suggest that the effects of humor on malevolent creativity depend on the interaction between type and level of aggression in the humor prime, and the direction of the aggression in the problem type. Specifically, people faced with an aggressive person responded with high levels of malevolent creativity, unless they had been primed with moderate levels of other-directed aggressive humor. Alternately, people faced with self-defeating behavior in others responded with high levels of malevolent creativity, unless they had been primed with self-defeating humor.