A Fink
Biographic Data
| ID | 11651 |
|---|---|
| NAME | A Fink |
| GIVEN NAMES | A |
| FAMILY NAME | Fink |
| SIGNATURE | FINK A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Graz |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7316-3140 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1985 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Do Fans of Violent Stories Show a Higher Potential for Creative Harm? True Crime as a Stimulating Environment for Malevolent Creativity
The media we consume may shape our cognition, emotion, and behavior. While violent media effects on aggression have been studied extensively, one popular media genre has escaped scrutiny until now: true crime, featuring real stories of assault, murder, or serial killings. We investigated the idea that the manifold examples of real human violence in true crime may be linked to people's capacity for malevolent creativity—generating creative ideas f…
Humor as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Emotional Exhaustion and Depressive Symptoms in University Students and the General Population
The search for resilience factors that could minimize the transition from burnout to depression may offer a valuable approach for depression prevention. The present study investigated whether humor could be such a potential resilience factor in two independent studies. In study 1 ( n = 58, students), we used a performance-based approach integrating linguistic and psychometric methods to investigate whether the ability to produce humor in positive…
At the Heart of Creative Thoughts: Ecological Momentary Assessment of Subjective and Objective Creativity
Creativity research has seldom focused on the neurophysiological dynamics of the subjectively experienced quality of creative ideas. This study reports the reanalysis of an ecological momentary assessment of 157 participants, who previously showed higher heart rate variability (HRV) associated with higher objective creativity in the figural domain and reduced HRV with higher objective creativity in the verbal domain. As a new angle, this study in…
Out of the dark - Psychological perspectives on people's fascination with true crime
The success of the true crime media genre reflects humanity's avid curiosity about violence, deviance, and murder, yet psychological research on this phenomenon is lacking. In this article, we highlight why true crime consumption may be relevant to various research fields that go beyond simple media preferences. Additionally, we present a large-scale behavioural investigation for comprehensive empirical insights into motives, and behavioural and …
Anxious and depressive symptoms mediate the influence of sleep quality on suicidality in young adults
This study investigated how sleep quality affects the global severity of psychiatric symptoms, including suicidality, in young adults. Poor sleep quality has a significant impact on mental health and should therefore be given special attention in suicidal treatment. 1,214 participants (914 females; age: M = 25.81, SD = 6.35) completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), the Scale for Suicidal Experience and Behavior (SSEV), and the Pittsburgh S…
Social exclusion increases antisocial tendencies: Evidence from retaliatory ideation in a malevolent creativity task
Reliability and validity of a novel Ambulatory Battery of Creativity (ABC)
Criminal Genius or Everyday Villain? A Comparison of Malevolent Creativity Among Prisoners, Police Officers, and the General Population
Criminals allegedly use effective novelty to intentionally exploit and harm others (creative fraud, theft, and murder). However, empirical evidence that criminals possess higher malevolent creativity than individuals without criminal backgrounds is lacking. We compared a male sample of prisoners in a maximum‐security penitentiary ( n = 140), police officers ( n = 122), and the general population ( n = 106) on three different aspects of malevolent…
It is heart to be creative: Insights from ambulatory monitoring
High avoidance and low approach motivation affect cognitive reappraisal generation in the face of anger
This study investigates the link between the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) and individuals’ capacity to spontaneously invent alternate appraisals for aversive events. Eighty-two women completed the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test for anger-eliciting situations, and quantity and quality of reappraisal ideas were correlated with BIS, BAS, and FFFS sensitivity (RST-Personality Questionnaire). Results revealed that high BIS and high F…
Depressive Symptoms are Positively Linked to Malevolent Creativity: A Novel Perspective on the Maladaptive Nature of Revenge Ideation
Depressed mood has attracted little attention in creativity research. By comparison, psychotherapeutic studies have repeatedly associated depressive symptomatology with increased revenge ideation. Combining creativity and retaliatory ideation, the present study examined whether self‐reported subclinical depressive symptoms are linked to malevolent creativity – creativity used for the purpose of damaging others – in a psychometric test. In a sampl…
Antisocial Schizotypy Is Linked to Malevolent Creativity
The personality trait of schizotypy has received considerable attention in creativity research; however, to date, literature has exclusively focused on its relationship with benevolent creative ideation. The present study investigated how different subdimensions of schizotypy were related to malevolent creativity, where original ideas are generated to harm others intentionally. N = 104 participants completed a novel performance test for malevolen…
Creative, Antagonistic, and Angry? Exploring the Roots of Malevolent Creativity with a Real‐World Idea Generation Task
Research is currently witnessing more investigations into malevolent creativity—creativity that is used to intentionally harm others. Inspired by previous methods to measure malevolent creativity, in the present study, we introduce a real‐world behavioral task designed to capture individuals’ capacity for using creativity for the purpose of attaining malevolent goals in response to everyday, provocative situations. In a sample of 105 students, we…
Attachment and Therapeutic Alliance in Substance Use Disorders: Initial Findings for Treatment in the Therapeutic Community
Background: There is convincing evidence that individuals suffering from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) often present insecure attachment patterns. In contrast, a strong therapeutic alliance in treatment of SUD has been found to lead to a more positive treatment outcome. However, insecure attachment has been observed to be linked with weaker therapeutic alliance strength. The primary aim of this explorative study was to gain initial insights regard…
The propensity to perceive meaningful coincidences is associated with increased posterior alpha power during retention of information in a modified Sternberg paradigm
Dimensions of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being in Relation to Personality and Stress Coping: Initial Results From Bosnian Young Adults
The aim of this study was to examine possible relationships between religious/spiritual well-being (RSWB), the Big Five personality factors, and stress coping strategies among Bosnian young adults. Therefore, a first Bosnian translation of the Multidimensional Inventory of Religious/Spiritual Well-being was applied on a sample of 290 (181 females) Bosnian undergraduate students. RSWB dimensions such as hope, forgiveness, or general religiosity we…
Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, Personality and Mental Health: A Review of Results and Conceptual Issues
Dimensions of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, Personality, and Mental Health: Initial Results from Italian College Students
The purpose of this study was to adapt the Austrian-German version of the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) into the Italian language and culture, and to investigate possible associations between the RSWB dimensions, “Big Five” personality factors and mental illness within an Italian student sample. Hence, the first Italian translation of the MI-RSWB scale was applied on a sample of 412 undergraduate students…
Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, Coping Styles, and Personality Dimensions in People With Substance Use Disorders
Religiosity and spirituality have been found to be negatively associated with a range of addictions. It has been suggested that religious/spiritual well-being might play an important role in the development, course, and recovery from addictive disorders. A sample of addiction in-patients (N = 389) was assessed using the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) and compared with a matched group of nonaddicted communi…
Different Types of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being in Relation to Personality and Subjective Well-Being
In this study the authors attempt to present different types of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (RSWB) and discuss their relation to personality and psychological well-being. The Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being 48 is employed for this study, which consists of 6 subscales. To find different types of RSWB, an agglomerative cluster analysis on these subscales was performed based on the responses obtained in a nonclinical…
Evaluación de la tecnología empleada en la atención de la salud
This report explains how and why to evaluate the technology employed in health care. This technology includes not only medicines, instruments, equipment, and procedures used directly on patients, but also the organizational models and support systems that make health care possible. During the various stages of a technologys life cycle, an assessment is made of several different characteristics, such as safety and effectiveness, clinical utility, …
Program Evaluation in Health Care
Different Types of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being in Relation to Personality and Subjective Well-Being
In this study the authors attempt to present different types of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (RSWB) and discuss their relation to personality and psychological well-being. The Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being 48 is employed for this study, which consists of 6 subscales. To find different types of RSWB, an agglomerative cluster analysis on these subscales was performed based on the responses obtained in a nonclinical…
Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, Coping Styles, and Personality Dimensions in People With Substance Use Disorders
Religiosity and spirituality have been found to be negatively associated with a range of addictions. It has been suggested that religious/spiritual well-being might play an important role in the development, course, and recovery from addictive disorders. A sample of addiction in-patients (N = 389) was assessed using the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) and compared with a matched group of nonaddicted communi…
Out of the dark - Psychological perspectives on people's fascination with true crime
The success of the true crime media genre reflects humanity's avid curiosity about violence, deviance, and murder, yet psychological research on this phenomenon is lacking. In this article, we highlight why true crime consumption may be relevant to various research fields that go beyond simple media preferences. Additionally, we present a large-scale behavioural investigation for comprehensive empirical insights into motives, and behavioural and …
Program Evaluation in Health Care
Evaluación de la tecnología empleada en la atención de la salud
This report explains how and why to evaluate the technology employed in health care. This technology includes not only medicines, instruments, equipment, and procedures used directly on patients, but also the organizational models and support systems that make health care possible. During the various stages of a technologys life cycle, an assessment is made of several different characteristics, such as safety and effectiveness, clinical utility, …
Different Types of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being in Relation to Personality and Subjective Well-Being
In this study the authors attempt to present different types of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (RSWB) and discuss their relation to personality and psychological well-being. The Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being 48 is employed for this study, which consists of 6 subscales. To find different types of RSWB, an agglomerative cluster analysis on these subscales was performed based on the responses obtained in a nonclinical…
Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, Coping Styles, and Personality Dimensions in People With Substance Use Disorders
Religiosity and spirituality have been found to be negatively associated with a range of addictions. It has been suggested that religious/spiritual well-being might play an important role in the development, course, and recovery from addictive disorders. A sample of addiction in-patients (N = 389) was assessed using the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) and compared with a matched group of nonaddicted communi…
Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, Personality and Mental Health: A Review of Results and Conceptual Issues
Dimensions of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being, Personality, and Mental Health: Initial Results from Italian College Students
The purpose of this study was to adapt the Austrian-German version of the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) into the Italian language and culture, and to investigate possible associations between the RSWB dimensions, “Big Five” personality factors and mental illness within an Italian student sample. Hence, the first Italian translation of the MI-RSWB scale was applied on a sample of 412 undergraduate students…
Dimensions of Religious/Spiritual Well-Being in Relation to Personality and Stress Coping: Initial Results From Bosnian Young Adults
The aim of this study was to examine possible relationships between religious/spiritual well-being (RSWB), the Big Five personality factors, and stress coping strategies among Bosnian young adults. Therefore, a first Bosnian translation of the Multidimensional Inventory of Religious/Spiritual Well-being was applied on a sample of 290 (181 females) Bosnian undergraduate students. RSWB dimensions such as hope, forgiveness, or general religiosity we…
The propensity to perceive meaningful coincidences is associated with increased posterior alpha power during retention of information in a modified Sternberg paradigm
Creative, Antagonistic, and Angry? Exploring the Roots of Malevolent Creativity with a Real‐World Idea Generation Task
Research is currently witnessing more investigations into malevolent creativity—creativity that is used to intentionally harm others. Inspired by previous methods to measure malevolent creativity, in the present study, we introduce a real‐world behavioral task designed to capture individuals’ capacity for using creativity for the purpose of attaining malevolent goals in response to everyday, provocative situations. In a sample of 105 students, we…
Attachment and Therapeutic Alliance in Substance Use Disorders: Initial Findings for Treatment in the Therapeutic Community
Background: There is convincing evidence that individuals suffering from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) often present insecure attachment patterns. In contrast, a strong therapeutic alliance in treatment of SUD has been found to lead to a more positive treatment outcome. However, insecure attachment has been observed to be linked with weaker therapeutic alliance strength. The primary aim of this explorative study was to gain initial insights regard…
Antisocial Schizotypy Is Linked to Malevolent Creativity
The personality trait of schizotypy has received considerable attention in creativity research; however, to date, literature has exclusively focused on its relationship with benevolent creative ideation. The present study investigated how different subdimensions of schizotypy were related to malevolent creativity, where original ideas are generated to harm others intentionally. N = 104 participants completed a novel performance test for malevolen…
High avoidance and low approach motivation affect cognitive reappraisal generation in the face of anger
This study investigates the link between the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) and individuals’ capacity to spontaneously invent alternate appraisals for aversive events. Eighty-two women completed the Reappraisal Inventiveness Test for anger-eliciting situations, and quantity and quality of reappraisal ideas were correlated with BIS, BAS, and FFFS sensitivity (RST-Personality Questionnaire). Results revealed that high BIS and high F…
Depressive Symptoms are Positively Linked to Malevolent Creativity: A Novel Perspective on the Maladaptive Nature of Revenge Ideation
Depressed mood has attracted little attention in creativity research. By comparison, psychotherapeutic studies have repeatedly associated depressive symptomatology with increased revenge ideation. Combining creativity and retaliatory ideation, the present study examined whether self‐reported subclinical depressive symptoms are linked to malevolent creativity – creativity used for the purpose of damaging others – in a psychometric test. In a sampl…
Anxious and depressive symptoms mediate the influence of sleep quality on suicidality in young adults
This study investigated how sleep quality affects the global severity of psychiatric symptoms, including suicidality, in young adults. Poor sleep quality has a significant impact on mental health and should therefore be given special attention in suicidal treatment. 1,214 participants (914 females; age: M = 25.81, SD = 6.35) completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), the Scale for Suicidal Experience and Behavior (SSEV), and the Pittsburgh S…
Social exclusion increases antisocial tendencies: Evidence from retaliatory ideation in a malevolent creativity task
Reliability and validity of a novel Ambulatory Battery of Creativity (ABC)
Criminal Genius or Everyday Villain? A Comparison of Malevolent Creativity Among Prisoners, Police Officers, and the General Population
Criminals allegedly use effective novelty to intentionally exploit and harm others (creative fraud, theft, and murder). However, empirical evidence that criminals possess higher malevolent creativity than individuals without criminal backgrounds is lacking. We compared a male sample of prisoners in a maximum‐security penitentiary ( n = 140), police officers ( n = 122), and the general population ( n = 106) on three different aspects of malevolent…
It is heart to be creative: Insights from ambulatory monitoring
Humor as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Emotional Exhaustion and Depressive Symptoms in University Students and the General Population
The search for resilience factors that could minimize the transition from burnout to depression may offer a valuable approach for depression prevention. The present study investigated whether humor could be such a potential resilience factor in two independent studies. In study 1 ( n = 58, students), we used a performance-based approach integrating linguistic and psychometric methods to investigate whether the ability to produce humor in positive…
At the Heart of Creative Thoughts: Ecological Momentary Assessment of Subjective and Objective Creativity
Creativity research has seldom focused on the neurophysiological dynamics of the subjectively experienced quality of creative ideas. This study reports the reanalysis of an ecological momentary assessment of 157 participants, who previously showed higher heart rate variability (HRV) associated with higher objective creativity in the figural domain and reduced HRV with higher objective creativity in the verbal domain. As a new angle, this study in…
Out of the dark - Psychological perspectives on people's fascination with true crime
The success of the true crime media genre reflects humanity's avid curiosity about violence, deviance, and murder, yet psychological research on this phenomenon is lacking. In this article, we highlight why true crime consumption may be relevant to various research fields that go beyond simple media preferences. Additionally, we present a large-scale behavioural investigation for comprehensive empirical insights into motives, and behavioural and …
Do Fans of Violent Stories Show a Higher Potential for Creative Harm? True Crime as a Stimulating Environment for Malevolent Creativity
The media we consume may shape our cognition, emotion, and behavior. While violent media effects on aggression have been studied extensively, one popular media genre has escaped scrutiny until now: true crime, featuring real stories of assault, murder, or serial killings. We investigated the idea that the manifold examples of real human violence in true crime may be linked to people's capacity for malevolent creativity—generating creative ideas f…
Psychology (17 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Personality (9 works) · Creativity (8 works) · Clinical Psychology (7 works) · Creativity in Education and Neuroscience (7 works) · Medicine (6 works) · Psychiatry (6 works) · Developmental psychology (5 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (5 works)