Depressive Symptoms are Positively Linked to Malevolent Creativity: A Novel Perspective on the Maladaptive Nature of Revenge Ideation

Depressed mood has attracted little attention in creativity research. By comparison, psychotherapeutic studies have repeatedly associated depressive symptomatology with increased revenge ideation. Combining and retaliatory ideation, the present study examined whether self-reported subclinical symptoms are linked to malevolent – used for purpose of damaging others a psychometric test. In sample n = 259 participants, overall were positively creativity. Sensitivity analyses confirmed this link motivational interactional symptoms, but not cognitive depression. As gender-specific finding, was emotional depression women, men. Our findings hint at possibility that impairments through may facilitate creative ideation impulsivity, reduced self-regulation, protracted anger rumination. Following recommendations regarding more focused investigations into vast research complex psychopathology creativity, emphasizes negative as risk factor occurrence harmful thus, presents novel perspective on intricate between internalizing externalizing symptomatology.