Related Experiment Videos
Ethical Relativism Mediates the Association Between Openness to Experience and Negative Creativity
Marco Giancola1, Laura Piccardi2,3, Simonetta D'Amico1
1Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Relativism explains the link between openness to experience and negative creativity, where original ideas may cause harm. Positive creativity, however, stems more from curiosity and imagination, not moral relativism.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Creativity Research
- Moral Philosophy
Background:
- Openness to experience is linked to creativity.
- Creativity can be positive (beneficial) or negative (harmful).
- The role of moral relativism in creativity is under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate if moral relativism mediates the relationship between openness to experience and positive/negative creativity.
- Examine the distinct predictors of positive and negative creativity.
- Understand the ethical valence of creative ideation.
Main Methods:
- 200 participants completed measures of openness to experience and moral relativism.
- Participants generated captions for cartoons (modified Cartoon Caption Task).
- Independent judges evaluated captions for positive and negative creativity.
Main Results:
- Moral relativism accounted for the association between openness to experience and negative creativity.
- High openness and moral relativism predicted ethically ambiguous creative captions.
- Positive creativity was directly linked to curiosity and imagination, not relativism.
Conclusions:
- Moral reasoning, specifically relativism, is associated with the ethical implications of creative output.
- Distinguishing between positive and negative creativity is crucial.
- Integrating personality and ethical frameworks enhances creativity research for fostering responsible innovation.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Self Within Cultural Contexts
Cultural frameworks for understanding the self are often categorized into two broad orientations: individualism and collectivism. These paradigms influence how people define themselves, relate to others, and interpret their social worlds. Each orientation offers distinct perspectives on autonomy, responsibility, and the role of the individual within a community.Individualistic CulturesIn individualistic cultures like North America and Western Europe, identity is understood as autonomous and...
01:24Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic psychology emerged in the mid-20th century as a response to the deterministic and pessimistic nature of behaviorism and psychoanalysis. While behaviorism focused on observable behaviors influenced by the environment and psychoanalysis delved into unconscious motivations, both theories suggested that human actions lacked free will. In contrast, humanistic psychology offers a perspective that emphasizes the innate potential for goodness and growth within every individual.
This approach...
This approach...
01:37Reason and Intuition
The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...
02:34Empathy
Some researchers suggest that altruism operates on empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what he or she feels. An empathetic person makes an emotional connection with others and feels compelled to help (Batson, 1991). Empathy can be expressed in several ways, including cognitive, affective, and motor.
01:25Motivational Bias
Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
01:29Dark Triad and Person Perception
Person perception is influenced by both external behaviors and the observer’s internal characteristics, including personality traits. Individuals with dark personality traits, comprising psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism — collectively known as the dark triad – exhibit manipulative and exploitative tendencies in social contexts. These traits affect how they perceive others and how they are perceived.The Role of Dark Personality Traits in Person PerceptionBlack et al. (2014) explored...