What do artists and psychopaths have in common?

by Glasstire April 29, 2016

jeff-koons

Via Artnet: “According to a new study in the journal Personality and Individual Differences conducted by a psychologists at De La Salle University in Manila… artists, actors, and musicians often share key personality traits with individuals who have ‘psychopathic traits.'” These include “higher levels of emotional disinhibition, and to be prone toward dishonesty and risk taking.” Creativity is associated with emotional disinhibition, and the traits shared by psychopaths and creatives are pro-social rather than anti-social.

And fortunately, cruelty isn’t an overlapping trait (for most artists anyway; we could probably name a few). There’s some more overlap with some personality disorders, including narcissistic personality disorder, which carry pathologies that can further overlap with psychopathic traits.

Via the Daily Mail: There’s some speculation amongst those who conducted the study that creatives “need some of these traits to cultivate their talent.”

They say it can help them make bold choices that are often associated with the best art or performances.

Writing in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, the researchers said: ‘We argue that emotional disinhibition, in the form of psychopathic boldness, is actually integral to some creative personalities and functionally related to the creative process.

‘Generally then, a creative field might not just shape a person into a more arrogant or dishonest personality, it might be actively selecting them, not for the sake of having disagreeable traits, but because such traits meaningfully co-vary with creativity itself.’

Psychologists have long suspected creativity may go hand-in-hand with some psychopathic traits.

 

 

1 comment

1 comment

Leon May 3, 2016 - 06:48

I have psychopathic characteristics? O.o
Oh my…

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