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What do people mean when speaking of evilness?
Ma Nieves Quiles1, Ma Dolores Morera, Ana Delia Correa
1Departamento de Psicología Cognitiva, Social y Organizacional, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, Campus de Guajara S/N, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. mquiles@ull.es
The Spanish Journal of Psychology
|October 28, 2010
Summary
This study explores the concept of evilness in social psychology, defining it as extremely harmful behavior. Researchers investigated how people define evilness and differentiate it from aggression, providing preliminary empirical insights.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Moral Psychology
Background:
- The concept of 'evilness' gained traction in social psychology following a 1999 special issue on evil and violence.
- Existing definitions of evilness are imprecise, necessitating empirical delineation of the construct.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically define evilness and distinguish it from aggression.
- To analyze layperson and expert definitions of evilness.
- To determine the dimensions predicting aggression and evilness.
Main Methods:
- Conducted multiple studies involving laypersons and experts.
- Investigated laypeople's ability to distinguish varying intensities of evilness.
- Analyzed predictive dimensions for aggression and evilness.
Main Results:
- Preliminary findings address how evilness is defined by both laypersons and experts.
- Evidence suggests laypeople can differentiate between varying intensities of evilness.
- Key dimensions that predict aggression and evilness have been identified.
Conclusions:
- The study provides initial empirical answers to the questions surrounding the definition and measurement of evilness.
- Findings contribute to a more precise understanding of extremely harmful behaviors within social psychology.
- The research lays the groundwork for future investigations into the psychological underpinnings of evilness.
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