Four researchers analyzed 50 years of research literature about the psychology of conservatism.
Assistant Professor Jack Glaser of the University of California, Berkeley”s Goldman School of Public Policy and Visiting Professor Frank Sulloway of University of California, Berkeley joined lead author, Associate Professor John Jost of Stanford University”s graduate school of business, and Professor Arie Kruglanski of the University of Maryland at College Park, wrote their findings in an article, “Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition,” recently published in the American Psychological Association”s Psychological Bulletin.
They report that at the core of political conservatism is the resistance to change and a tolerance for inequality, and that some of the common psychological factors linked to political conservatism include:
– Fear and aggression
– Dogmatism and intolerance of ambiguity
– Uncertainty avoidance
– Need for cognitive closure
– Terror management
The researchers wrote, “From our perspective, these psychological factors are capable of contributing to the adoption of conservative ideological contents, either independently or in combination,”
The entire press release is available at:
www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/07/22_politics.shtml
In all fairness conservatives cover a broad spectrum, from intelligent, realistic people such as former United States Senator from Nebraska, Chuck Hagel and Andrew Michael Sullivan, a British author, editor and political commentator. At the other extreme are Rush Limbaugh, and groups like the Taliban.
The researchers said that conservative ideologies, like virtually all belief systems, develop in-part, because they satisfy some psychological needs, but that “does not mean that conservatism is pathological or that conservative beliefs are necessarily false, irrational, or unprincipled.”
They also stressed that their findings are not judgmental.
“In many cases, including mass politics, ?liberal” traits may be liabilities, and being intolerant of ambiguity, high on the need for closure, or low in cognitive complexity might be associated with such generally valued characteristics as personal commitment and unwavering loyalty,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers acknowledged that the team”s exclusive assessment of the psychological motivations of political conservatism might be viewed as a partisan exercise. However, he said, there is a host of information available about conservatism, but not about liberalism.
Tim Snider
Lakeport
