Sentencing, Harm, and Severity: Do perceptions differ based on the creativity in a crime?

Perceptions of crimes are shaped not only by the nature of the act itself but also by factors such as their novelty, a person’s moral foundations, personality traits, and cultural contexts. Building on previous studies, the present study investigated how these interpersonal factors, as well as the creativity of a crime, influence crime perception. Eight crime scenarios were developed based on creativity (creative vs. non-creative) and moral valence (evil, sinful, self-interested, ambiguous) in accordance with the AMORAL model of dark creativity. A sample of adults from India (N = 279) and the US (N = 336) rated the crime scenarios presented to them, which were counterbalanced for creativity and moral valence, followed by psychometric measures related to morality, creativity, and personality. Data were analysed using ANOVA, MANOVA, and hierarchical and mixed-effects regression models, along with some exploratory analyses. Moral valence was a consistent predictor, with evil crimes receiving the highest ratings, followed by sinful, ambiguous, and self-interested crimes across the outcome variables. While creativity alone did not influence perception of crimes, some significant differences emerged through its interaction with moral valence. Overall, crime perceptions appeared to reflect an interplay between moral contexts and creativity, along with individual differences.