Is Political Conservatism a Mild Form of Insanity?
#1
A few years ago I was standing on the deck of a beach house on the 4th of July and a person who had obviously drunk too much told me, “The secret of my life is that I always need someone to hate.”

I was reminded of this exchange while watching the stupendously ruthless Republican National Convention over the last several days. Is there anything that conservatives do not hate? Maybe drilling. In fact, they appear utterly phallically obsessed with drilling (a practice that, in about 10 years or so, might reduce gas prices by 2 or 3 cents per gallon). But otherwise, what we learned from the recent hate-fest is that Republicans hate community organizers, liberals (surprise!), Madonna, the “east coast elite,” the “angry left” media, trial lawyers, people who are too smart, people who are “cosmopolitan”—the list goes on into eternity.

Listening to this litany on Wednesday night in particular reminded me of a research article that came out roughly 5 years ago on political conservatism and motivated social cognition (Jost, Glaser, Kruglanski & Sulloway, “Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition,” Psychological Bulletin). In a nutshell, the article—by Stanford and UC Berkeley researchers—seems to suggest that conservatism is a mild form of insanity.

Here are the facts. A meta-analysis culled from 88 samples in 12 countries, and with an N of 22,818, revealed that “several psychological variables predicted political conservatism.” Which variables exactly? In order of predictive power: Death anxiety, system instability, dogmatism/intolerance of ambiguity, closed-mindedness, low tolerance of uncertainty, high needs for order, structure, and closure, low integrative complexity, fear of threat and loss, and low self-esteem.

The researchers conclude, a little chillingly, that “the core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change and a justification of inequality.”

The above list of variables is more than a little unsavory. We are talking about someone full of fear, with a poor sense of self, and a lack of mental dexterity. I always tell my students that tolerance of ambiguity is one especially excellent mark of psychological maturity. It isn’t a black and white world.

According to the research, conservatives possess precisely the opposite: an intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity. Maybe that’s one reason why Obama seems so distasteful to them: he is a nuanced, multi-faceted thinker who can see things from several different perspectives simultaneously. And he isn’t preaching fear, either.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/geni...y/comments
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#2
(12-05-2011, 10:50 AM)Leonard Wrote: The researchers conclude, a little chillingly, that “the core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change and a justification of inequality.”

The above list of variables is more than a little unsavory. We are talking about someone full of fear, with a poor sense of self, and a lack of mental dexterity. I always tell my students that tolerance of ambiguity is one especially excellent mark of psychological maturity. It isn’t a black and white world.

According to the research, conservatives possess precisely the opposite: an intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity. Maybe that’s one reason why Obama seems so distasteful to them: he is a nuanced, multi-faceted thinker who can see things from several different perspectives simultaneously. And he isn’t preaching fear, either.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/geni...y/comments

Fascinating! Rings true to me...."intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity."
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#3
This issue is too unclear and complex for me to deal with. Smiling
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#4
Schultz just spewing liberal nonsense trying to hold on to what's left. And as usual, he has everything exactly wrong. Typical modern day psyco-babalist, desperate for justification.
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#5
(12-05-2011, 10:57 AM)Crone Wrote:
(12-05-2011, 10:50 AM)Leonard Wrote: The researchers conclude, a little chillingly, that “the core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change and a justification of inequality.”

The above list of variables is more than a little unsavory. We are talking about someone full of fear, with a poor sense of self, and a lack of mental dexterity. I always tell my students that tolerance of ambiguity is one especially excellent mark of psychological maturity. It isn’t a black and white world.

According to the research, conservatives possess precisely the opposite: an intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity. Maybe that’s one reason why Obama seems so distasteful to them: he is a nuanced, multi-faceted thinker who can see things from several different perspectives simultaneously. And he isn’t preaching fear, either.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/geni...y/comments

Fascinating! Rings true to me...."intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity."
Yeah, I also think that part seems accurate as does..."closed-mindedness, low tolerance of uncertainty, high needs for order, structure, and closure." My agreement with this is not just because I want to take a poke at conservatism. It comes from having conservative friends and observing them. My evidence is anecdotal, but more than a few of my Republican voting friends are convinced they "know" things when they actually just believe things. All that is needed to prove that they dont know, is a few good questions.
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#6
(12-05-2011, 11:40 AM)cletus1 Wrote:
(12-05-2011, 10:57 AM)Crone Wrote:
(12-05-2011, 10:50 AM)Leonard Wrote: The researchers conclude, a little chillingly, that “the core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change and a justification of inequality.”

The above list of variables is more than a little unsavory. We are talking about someone full of fear, with a poor sense of self, and a lack of mental dexterity. I always tell my students that tolerance of ambiguity is one especially excellent mark of psychological maturity. It isn’t a black and white world.

According to the research, conservatives possess precisely the opposite: an intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity. Maybe that’s one reason why Obama seems so distasteful to them: he is a nuanced, multi-faceted thinker who can see things from several different perspectives simultaneously. And he isn’t preaching fear, either.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/geni...y/comments

Fascinating! Rings true to me...."intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity."
Yeah, I also think that part seems accurate as does..."closed-mindedness, low tolerance of uncertainty, high needs for order, structure, and closure." My agreement with this is not just because I want to take a poke at conservatism. It comes from having conservative friends and observing them. My evidence is anecdotal, but more than a few of my Republican voting friends are convinced they "know" things when they actually just believe things. All that is needed to prove that they dont know, is a few good questions.

Well said! Thumbs Up
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#7
OK so I click on this thread and start reading. I have NO way of knowing who's words I am reading until or unless I click on the link?
Does that bother anyone else?
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#8
<oops. wrong thread.>
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#9
The whole rant is part of a response to the right wing assault on the sanity of liberals, written by similar, but ideologically opposite fools .
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#10
(12-05-2011, 12:21 PM)hillclimber Wrote: The whole rant is part of a response to the right wing assault on the sanity of liberals, written by similar, but ideologically opposite fools .

These are a bunch of words strung together...without making a lot of sense.
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#11
(12-05-2011, 12:25 PM)Crone Wrote:
(12-05-2011, 12:21 PM)hillclimber Wrote: The whole rant is part of a response to the right wing assault on the sanity of liberals, written by similar, but ideologically opposite fools .

These are a bunch of words strung together...without making a lot of sense.
Yet I understand it. He is saying similar articles claiming liberal are nuts prompted this response.Smiling
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#12
(12-05-2011, 12:48 PM)cletus1 Wrote:
(12-05-2011, 12:25 PM)Crone Wrote:
(12-05-2011, 12:21 PM)hillclimber Wrote: The whole rant is part of a response to the right wing assault on the sanity of liberals, written by similar, but ideologically opposite fools .

These are a bunch of words strung together...without making a lot of sense.
Yet I understand it. He is saying similar articles claiming liberal are nuts prompted this response.Smiling

yup
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#13
So either you are drawn in by the political commercial or you are not. It is either fascinating , or a bunch of words strung together with no meaning.
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#14
(12-05-2011, 11:46 AM)tvguy Wrote: OK so I click on this thread and start reading. I have NO way of knowing who's words I am reading until or unless I click on the link?
Does that bother anyone else?

Sounds like you would prefer to have things neat and in order. You just can't understand Leonard's posts because you aren't "Progressive" enough. If you were more intelligent, like the all of the "Progressives" you could figure who's words you were reading.

Unfortunately, rules or guidelines (like using the 'quote' function when posting something from an article written for another website) don't apply to the "Progressives". They don't have to follow silly rules, laws, or common courtesy. They would prefer to do what they want, sit on their ass all day, collect their food stamps and welfare checks and laugh about how much smarter they are compared to everyone else(Which apparently they are, they don't have to go to work for their money). However, they also whine about the 1%ers who apparently are all Republican? I guess all of the stupid people made all of the money? Ah hell, I don't know.

I do know the self righteous "Progressives are so much better" posts are really tiresome.

I guess they need the Daily Affirmations and have to go get them from Huffington and similar sites. "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darnit, PEOPLE LIKE ME! And if they don't understand my line of thinking, it's because they aren't smart enough"

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#15
Thing about libtards , if they say they are nice , they aren't unless you agree with them . That and they spend so much time doing good deeds to justify their self love and hedonism. Not to mention anal play.
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#16
Conservatives are just jealous... well, and to a certain degree insane. Dry
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#17
Is Political Conservatism a mild form of insanity? UM..uh..hmmmm...no.
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#18
Don't pay no mind to Hillclimber and Yeshuah Hamashiach.
They just have a mild form of insanity.
Big Grin
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#19
(12-11-2011, 06:32 PM)chuck white Wrote: Don't pay no mind to Hillclimber and Yeshuah Hamashiach.
They just have a mild form of insanity.
Big Grin

So I take it there is consensus and the answer to the question, posed by this thread is a definite yes?

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#20
(12-05-2011, 11:40 AM)cletus1 Wrote:
(12-05-2011, 10:57 AM)Crone Wrote:
(12-05-2011, 10:50 AM)Leonard Wrote: The researchers conclude, a little chillingly, that “the core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change and a justification of inequality.”

The above list of variables is more than a little unsavory. We are talking about someone full of fear, with a poor sense of self, and a lack of mental dexterity. I always tell my students that tolerance of ambiguity is one especially excellent mark of psychological maturity. It isn’t a black and white world.

According to the research, conservatives possess precisely the opposite: an intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity. Maybe that’s one reason why Obama seems so distasteful to them: he is a nuanced, multi-faceted thinker who can see things from several different perspectives simultaneously. And he isn’t preaching fear, either.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/geni...y/comments

Fascinating! Rings true to me...."intolerance of ambiguity and an inability to deal with complexity."
Yeah, I also think that part seems accurate as does..."closed-mindedness, low tolerance of uncertainty, high needs for order, structure, and closure." My agreement with this is not just because I want to take a poke at conservatism. It comes from having conservative friends and observing them. My evidence is anecdotal, but more than a few of my Republican voting friends are convinced they "know" things when they actually just believe things. All that is needed to prove that they dont know, is a few good questions.
Small frames of reference? like the idea that peace is the direct result of justice?

This article is typical 'race baiting" with the race being conservative Americans. Too bad that so many posters here buy in hook line and sinker to the "hate your conservative neighbor" program hosted by the media and cheered on by Hollywood. The real shame is that because so many liberals are more vested in the program of hate than identifying issues and answers, that they will miss a chance to vote for not only a real libertarian but also the only candidate that actually believes that you can use the golden rule as foreign policy. What am I missing?, oh, he isn't a liberal ideologue....
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