The Bright and Dark Side Correlates of Creativity: Demographic, Ability, Personality Traits and Personality Disorders Associated with Divergent Thinking

Abstract

This research examined the personality trait and personality disorder correlates of creative potential, as assessed by a divergent thinking (DT) test. Over 4,000 adult managers attending an assessment center completed a battery of tests including a bright side, normal personality trait measures (NEO Personality Inventory—Revised, or NEO-PI-R); a dark side/disorders measure (Hogan Development Survey, or HDS), an ability test (Graduate Management Assessment Test, or GMA), and the Consequences Test of DT scored twice. Personality disorder variables (dark side) accounted for incremental variance over the Big Five (bright side) and intelligence, which were also positively related to test scores. Disorder variables accounted for around 4–9% of the variance. Imaginative (schizotypal) and colorful (histrionic) scores were best positive predictors and diligent (obsessive compulsive) and sceptical (paranoid) most negative predictors of the DT measures. Implications for the selection and management of creative people are considered.

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