The Gray Side of Creativity: Exploring the Role of Activation in the Link Between Creative Personality and Unethical Behavior Ke Michael Mai a, ⁎, Aleksander P.J. Ellis b , David T. Welsh c a SKK Graduate School of Business, Sungkyunkwan University, Jongro-gu, Seoul 110-745, Republic of Korea b Department of Management & Organizations, Eller College of Management, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0108, USA c Department of Management, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA HIGHLIGHTS • Using three studies from diverse samples, we explore the relationship between creative personality and unethical behavior. • We extend previous research by applying trait activation theory and integrating self-concept maintenance theory. • The effects of creative personality on unethical behavior are determined by the presence of activators in the work context. • Such effects are mediated by the development of unethical justifications. abstract article info Article history: Received 31 July 2014 Revised 6 May 2015 Accepted 7 May 2015 Available online 9 May 2015 Keywords: Creative personality Trait activation Self-concept maintenance Unethical behavior Behavioral ethics Although creative personality is generally viewed as a desirable characteristic (e.g., Amabile, 1988), there may be a dark side associated with creative thinking in terms of increasing unethical behavior (e.g., Gino & Ariely, 2012). By integrating trait activation theory (Tett & Burnett, 2003) and self-concept maintenance theory (Mazar, Amir, & Ariely, 2008), we expand current understanding of the relationship between creative personality and unethical behavior. More specifically, consistent results across three studies using both student and nonstudent samples suggest that the effects of creative personality on unethical behavior are determined in large part by the presence of activators and are mediated by the development of unethical justifications. Implications for the creativity and behavioral ethics literatures are discussed as well as directions for future research. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Creativity has been identified as a critical factor to facilitate economic growth and social reform at the macro level (Florida, 2004; Zhou & Shalley, 2011) and enhance individual performance and com- petitiveness at the micro level (Amabile, 1988, 1996; Oldham & Cummings, 1996; Zhou, 1998). Therefore, one strategy would be to hire employees based on their creative potential. One determinant of cre- ative potential is creative personality (e.g., Barron, 1969; MacKinnon, 1978; Martindale, 1999; Simonton, 1999). However, selecting individuals who possess a highly creative personality may have unintended conse- quences in certain organizations. Whereas following appropriate norms and ethical standards requires conformity and convergent thinking, those with a creative personality possess a unique ability to engage in cognitive flexibility (Amabile, 1983; Eysenck, 1993) and divergent think- ing (Guilford, 1968, 1982). Consequently, creative employees may be more likely to think outside the box in a number of contexts, including those with ethical implications. Researchers across disciplines have become increasingly interested in understanding the link between creativity and unethicality (Beaussart, Andrews, & Kaufman, 2013; Gino & Wiltermuth, 2014), and recent research has shown that individuals with a highly creative personality may be more likely to make unethical decisions (Gino & Ariely, 2012). In this study, we extend this line of research by integrat- ing self-concept maintenance theory (Mazar et al., 2008) and trait acti- vation theory (Tett & Burnett, 2003; Tett & Guterman, 2000) in order to identify key moderating and mediating mechanisms. First, in Study 1, we investigate whether the effects of creative personality on unethical behavior (i.e., any individual action that violates widely accepted [soci- etal] moral norms, such as lying, cheating, and stealing; Treviño, Weaver, & Reynolds, 2006) are constrained primarily to contexts that activate the trait. Second, in Studies 2 and 3, we seek to replicate the ef- fects found in Study 1 and determine whether justifications play a Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 60 (2015) 76–85 ⁎ Corresponding author at: SKK Graduate School of Business, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 110-745, Republic of Korea. E-mail addresses: kemike.mai@gmail.com (K.M. Mai), aleks@email.arizona.edu (A.P.J. Ellis), davidwelsh@asu.edu (D.T. Welsh). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2015.05.004 0022-1031/© 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Experimental Social Psychology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jesp