Cross-cultural validation of the malevolent creativity behavior scale in 7 countries

This study examined the psychometric properties and cross-cultural validity of the Malevolent Creativity Behavior Scale (MCBS). A total of 2937 participants from Brazil, China, Ghana, Kenya, Peru, the United Kingdom, and the United States completed the 13-item MCBS. Confirmatory factor analyses compared multiple factor structures (unidimensional, three-factor, hierarchical, and bifactor), and measurement invariance was tested both across countries and by sex. The original three-factor solution demonstrated a generally acceptable fit. The measurement invariance findings indicated that the MCBS retains stable thresholds and factor loadings across groups, supporting the meaningfulness of comparisons. No significant item bias emerged by sex. However, most MCBS items do not reference novelty, a defining feature of creativity, posing the concern that the MCBS focuses more on malevolent ideation or antagonistic behaviors rather than creative malevolent processes. Overall, the results underscore the MCBS as a reliable tool for measuring harmful and creative behaviors in diverse cultural and demographic contexts. These findings contribute to the growing understanding of how malevolent creativity manifests and can be measured worldwide.