Dark, gray, or bright creativity? (Re)investigating the link between creativity and dishonesty

Abstract

The question of whether and, if so, how creativity and unethical behavior such as dishonesty are related to each other has been addressed in multiple studies, with mixed results overall. The aim of this Registered Report is to shed further light on this issue. We first present a meta-analysis on the relation between creativity and dishonesty comprising the samples from a pre-registered multi-lab study (on a different topic), which indicated no relation between the constructs in question ( k = 19, N = 2,154, rp = .02). Next, we examined the relation between creativity and dishonesty in a study ( N = 1,152), in which we addressed several limitations of previous research. Specifically, we examined relations between comprehensively assessed creativity and dishonesty using subjective and objective indicators for both constructs. We found mixed results concerning the relation between creativity and dishonesty. In the majority of the confirmatory statistical tests, subjective creativity was positively related, whereas objective creativity was negatively related to dishonesty in the mind game. However, in exploratory analyses, we found that neither subjective nor objective creativity was related to dishonesty in the second dishonesty measure, the sender–receiver game.

Unbound: The Relationship Among Creativity, Moral Foundations, and Dark Personality

“…In contrast, studies have also suggested that creativity and morality share a positive association (Shen, Yuan, Yi, Liu, & Zhan, 2019). Further, research has also indicated no/mixed relationships between the constructs, which is likely to be driven by the nature of creativity and dishonesty assessments (Ścigała, Schild, & Zettler, 2021).…”

Does creative thinking contribute to the academic integrity of education students?

“…Nonetheless, the relationship between creative thinking and academic dishonesty has not been extensively examined. The most influential line of research on the relation between creativity and unethical behavior suggests a positive relationship between the constructs ( Ścigała et al, 2021 ). Nevertheless, there is a common perception that people with a high level of creative thinking have a greater propensity for academic integrity.…”

Creative thinking does not promote dishonesty

“…Overall, our results are in line with those of earlier correlational studies, suggesting that the relation of creativity and unethical behaviour is not a simple one and depends on several contextual factors. For instance, prior research found a positive relation of subjective creativity and dishonest responses in the mind game, while the opposite relation was found for objective creativity [26]. Moreover, is has been shown that trait creativity is only linked to deviant behaviour in organizational settings for individuals low in moral identity [54] and another study only found a relation of dishonesty and trait creativity when participants were put in a creative state beforehand [40].…”