Abstract

This interdisciplinary project investigated how both the arts and the sciences reveal the morality underlying psychological disorders. The psychological part of my study examined how psychopathic traits interact with moral consistency in an adult sample. Participants completed a two-part survey. In the first part, they rated their agreement with statements designed to assess whether they exhibit psychopathic traits. In the second part, they indicated how consistent their morals were by voting pro/contra on choices made in two moral-dilemma stories. While my quantitative data found no statistically significant relationship between psychopathy and moral consistency, the results suggest that some other factor may be responsible for the disconnected relationship often seen in psychopaths. The artistic aspect of my project explored how choreographic choices can embody moral reasoning in dance performance. My choreography was grounded in the theory of kinesthesia, which is how we explore the world through touch, feeling, and awareness of our position in space. Each pair of dancers represented one of my variables (a psychopathic trait or moral consistency) and enacted the relationship shown through a statistical correlation. What excited me most about this project is contributing to research while making scientific data more accessible to everyone. Future directions include expanding interdisciplinary approaches that bridge science and art. Knowledge should be accessible to anyone willing to seek it through any avenue.

Advisor

Foster, Nathan

Second Advisor

Baird, Emily

Department

Psychology; Theatre and Dance

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Dance

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2026 Larissa Cardine