Emotional intelligence and creativity: relation and interaction on the example of different categories of convicts

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and antisocial creativity (AC), manifested in deviant and criminal behaviour. The sample consisted of groups of convicted of fraud and mercenary-violent crimes (N = 15) and of convicted of aggressively violent crimes (N = 15). Methods used: the aggression questionnaire, EI, Machiavellianism and the questionnaire “Behavioural features of antisocial creativity”. The tested hypotheses were as follows: 1) the difference in the components manifestation of EI of two groups of convicts, 2) AС is mediated by low level of EI and the aggression components; 3) AC in fraudsters and mercenary-violent criminals is mediated by the interaction of EI and hostility. According to the results EI has an ambiguous effect on criminal behaviour: a low understanding of other people's emotions and low interpersonal intelligence can be realised in fraud and mercenary-violent crimes, while a higher level of interpersonal intelligence - in aggressive-violent crime. The anger and the understanding of one's own emotions are of great importance in antisocial creativity in the subgroup with AC indicators above the averages for both samples. A low level of understanding of their own emotions and hostility are the predictors for fraudsters and convicts for mercenary-violent crimes. All ratios are statistically significant. Further research directions and practice-oriented recommendations are provided.