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A Small Aperitif: The Evil Elephant

from Part I - The Basics of Creativity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2023

James C. Kaufman
James C. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
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Summary

This brief chapter acknowledges that creativity is not inherently benevolent. I discuss the idea of malevolent creativity, which designates creativity used for evil or bad purposes, and then I revisit the messy literature surrounding creativity and mental illness. Creativity’s benefits are not as simple or straightforward as drastically enhancing well-being (although there is a slight positive association).

Keywords

creativitymalevolent creativitymental illnesswell-being
Type
Chapter
Information
The Creativity Advantage , pp. 74 - 80
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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