1) Russell, how do you define ' malevolent creativity"?

It is creativity that is done for an evil purpose.For example, in being a creative criminal, one would use their creativity in an anti-social way. Creativity does not have to be for good, pro-social purposes, but we tend to think of it that way.Also, a secondary definition could be creativity that is intended to be good but results in evil results, such as a new chemical that is supposed to help, but kills many, or pollutes the skies. By the way, I have no one definition of creativity, but would go with: creativity=originality plus usefulness.You have to have the usefulness part to keep something from being defined as creative merely because it is odd or bizarre.

2) Why do some criminals engage in this type of mischief and negative behavior?

If you are asking "Why are some people criminals?" this is a major question for which there are many answers: personality, culture, subculture, etc. including such things as parents brutalizing their children, who in turn become anti-authority and violent or criminal.If you are asking why criminals use malevolent creativity, then I would say "Why not?"If they have the ability to be creative it would help them to be better criminals, just as creativity can help someone be a better inventor, a better researcher, a better teacher, etc.

Most criminals, in my view, ARE NOT creative, or at least not creative most of the time. I published two studies on this in Creativity Research Journal. One of the studies is the first chapter in my book, Creativity, Mental Illness and Crime (Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 2007). That lack of creativity is one reason they keep getting caught, cannot figure out better lifestyles, etc.For those who ARE creative, it is a way to further their criminal career, which could be the career of a burglar, the career of a child molester, the career of a drug dealer, etc.

3) Is this their way of sublimating or chaneling their anger or energy?

Great question.I suppose it depends on whether or not you believe strongly in the concept of sublimation.I think many people could go one way or the other in life. Look at families.Not everyone in a family is necessarily a criminal or a scholar or a mechanic, or whatever the family tends to support.In a mostly criminal family there is often at least one noncriminal child, i. e. a child who becomes pro-social instead of anti-social.Why is that?Different personality, different reinforcement history, different treatment of the different kids by the parents, things like that.So, I would say "yes," but it is not easy or always a given that a criminally-inclined person can have their energy and behavior sublimated or channeled into a non-crime orientation.But, sometimes it does happen, which suggests that anger or energy may be sublimated or channeled.However, I think many become criminals because they are so psychologically and physically wounded growing up that they become angry, anti-social people who see hurting others for selfish gain as the only way to go.

4) It seems that there are a lot of devious, cunning criminals out there- are there any commonalities in terms of their personalities? Or school achievement?

My impression is that there are some commonalities, but I do not want to say it is always the case.In many instances, the cunning, malevolently creative criminals have no empathy for others.There are either psychopaths (also known as "sociopaths"; the correct term for both is "anti-social personality disorders") or they have strong tendencies is that direction.Thus, they can do all kinds of things to people without feeling bad about it.I suspect they are also smart, at least in the street-wise sense.Perhaps they have above average smarts, but it may not show up on IQ tests due to their lack of conventional schooling.They are often deficient in school achievement, not being willing to sit and listen to teachers.Many fit these descriptions without creative ability and are your common, noncreative criminals. But, throw in creativity aimed at crime, and you have an example of malevolent creativity.

5) Do you think the general public really understands malevolent creativity?

Not only does the general public not understand malevolent creativity, most scholars do not.Creativity has come to have a very positive connotation, and we tend to think of it as something good for society.But "creativity" or "self-actualization" can be negative, helping only one person and doing much harm to others.Of course, Abraham Maslow did not think of self actualization like that, but if you are honest about it, you have to realize that it may not always be such a pro-social trait the way Maslow thought.You could have a very selfish self actualized person, or a very selfish creative person who uses their creativity to help self and hurt others.Selfishness alone is not malevolent, but it can become malevolent if the welfare of others is not taken into account.

6) In your article, you talk about nine different types of individuals. Can you briefly describe one individual and their "malevolent creativity"?

Consider a young prisoner I will call Mike.About 20-years old, he was a lifetime con man.He described to our group therapy session his method for how to pass fake checks. First, get paper that looks like the checks from a specific bank and have phony checks printed up.Then, write bogus checks and cash them.At a bank, I think, perhaps even the same bank. Probably, it does not have to be a bank.Sorry, I am not sure. Anyway, this was in California, so he said to do it on a Friday.The checks will be sent, he said, to a bank clearing house on the east coast, so since it is a weekend it will be many days before the check is fully processed and the California bank finally finds out the check is bogus.By then, you can be long gone, to another city.Some could argue that this is not really creativity, but if it is, then it is clearly a malevolent use of creativity.

7) Most people see creativity as divergent thinking. How would you describe "malevolent creativity"? What type of thinking is it? Pathological?

To say that malevolent creativity is pathological is a social judgment and not really part of the definition of malevolent creativity.Perhaps we would say that the social judgment is correct in most given circumstances, but that is another issue.However you define creativity, malevolent creativity is that same thing, but used for evil, harmful purposes (except for the individual who selfishly profits, for whom it is helpful, not harmful).So, if creativity is divergent thinking, then malevolent creativity is divergent thinking used for evil purposes.

8) Would you say that "identity theft" is a form of malevolent creativity?

Identity theft would be a good example of malevolent creativity because it hurts people and yet comes about due to clever, creative application of new technologies.I know someone who was the victim of robbery and then identity theft by the robbers, and she could not cash a check or use her credit card for a long time, even after she reported everything and the crooks were caught. The malevolent thieves figure out how to help themselves to your money, and they could care less what effect it has on you.In fact, some criminals enjoy hurting others and enjoy their crime more so if they think others suffer.So, appealing to their conscience is a waste of time.

9) What question have I neglected to ask?

What are some other examples of malevolent creativity?One, which I became personally aware of in greater detail is diploma mills.I had an article of mine plagiarized by a diploma mill—an alleged international university supposedly in England but with no physical location there---with the Dean of Criminal Justice implying that he wrote the article.

My investigations revealed that some diploma mills make millions of dollars a year, that some people in business, education, and in our government (including the defense department) get promotions and pay increases based on fake degrees, and that the diploma mills may fight back hard against anyone who tries to expose them (e. g. complaining to your supervisor about anything you write about them, threatening to sue you, calling you a homosexual, and more).I also found out that the Dean of Criminal Justice who plagiarized my article is a cop or ex-cop in Texas. Another example is the great use of codes by prisoners, in which they get letters or writings past the authorities to colleagues on the outside, because it looks like a normal letter, but actually is in code and contains instructions for crimes to be committed or names specific people to be murdered.Sometimes the authorities figure out the codes and prevent the letter from being sent, but at other times the codes are successful, and the "soldiers" on the outside carry out the orders.

Published September 3, 2008