Viewing Conservatives from a Psychological Perspectve

[Kiln]

One of my ex-students sent this to me a little while ago and some recent postings here reminded me of it.


Viewing conservatives from a psychological perspective

Haw haw. Liberals find scientific research funny, because sometimes it is. Tim F. reports on a new study that shows that, for conservatives, “disproving rightwing lies only makes them believe it more.” No shit. This is what we’re dealing with:

Political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler provided two groups of volunteers with the Bush administration’s prewar claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. One group was given a refutation — the comprehensive 2004 Duelfer report that concluded that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction before the United States invaded in 2003. Thirty-four percent of conservatives told only about the Bush administration’s claims thought Iraq had hidden or destroyed its weapons before the U.S. invasion, but 64 percent of conservatives who heard both claim and refutation thought that Iraq really did have the weapons. The refutation, in other words, made the misinformation worse.
A similar “backfire effect” also influenced conservatives told about Bush administration assertions that tax cuts increase federal revenue. One group was offered a refutation by prominent economists that included current and former Bush administration officials. About 35 percent of conservatives told about the Bush claim believed it; 67 percent of those provided with both assertion and refutation believed that tax cuts increase revenue.
In a paper approaching publication, Nyhan, a PhD student at Duke University, and Reifler, at Georgia State University, suggest that Republicans might be especially prone to the backfire effect because conservatives may have more rigid views than liberals: Upon hearing a refutation, conservatives might “argue back” against the refutation in their minds, thereby strengthening their belief in the misinformation. Nyhan and Reifler did not see the same “backfire effect” when liberals were given misinformation and a refutation about the Bush administration’s stance on stem cell research.
​

The Frontal Cortex points out that this kind of study has been done before, during the Clinton administration. Headdesk:

During the first term of Bill Clinton’s presidency, the budget deficit declined by more than 90 percent. However, when Republican voters were asked in 1996 what happened to the deficit under Clinton, more than 55 percent said that it had increased. What’s interesting about this data is that so-called “high-information” voters - these are the Republicans who read the newspaper, watch cable news and can identify their representatives in Congress - weren’t better informed than “low-information” voters.
(snip)
“Voters think that they’re thinking,” Bartels says, “but what they’re really doing is inventing facts or ignoring facts so that they can rationalize decisions they’ve already made.”
​

It would be funny if it wasn’t ruining this country.
For purposes of rubbing it in and analyzing them more like lab rats than we were doing just then, Tim F. has written about studies like this before. Like the one that shows that, haha, “whiny babies grow up conservative”:

In the 1960s Jack Block and his wife and fellow professor Jeanne Block (now deceased) began tracking more than 100 nursery school kids as part of a general study of personality. The kids’ personalities were rated at the time by teachers and assistants who had known them for months.
…A few decades later, Block followed up with more surveys, looking again at personality, and this time at politics, too. The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.
The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective.
​

This has been your morning “I’m better than you” post. Feel free to use it to feel better than others.
Nah, don’t do that.
Haha, well, just make sure you’re feeling better than others in a nice polite way.
One more? Okay, conservatives are startled more easily than liberals.
Research is hilarious.

 

[Kiln]

You Mean They Really Are Whiny Ass Titty Babies?

My suspicions have been confirmed:


....In the 1960s Jack Block and his wife and fellow professor Jeanne Block (now deceased) began tracking more than 100 nursery school kids as part of a general study of personality. The kids’ personalities were rated at the time by teachers and assistants who had known them for months. There’s no reason to think political bias skewed the ratings — the investigators were not looking at political orientation back then. Even if they had been, it’s unlikely that 3- and 4-year-olds would have had much idea about their political leanings.
A few decades later, Block followed up with more surveys, looking again at personality, and this time at politics, too. The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.
The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective.
Block admits in his paper that liberal Berkeley is not representative of the whole country. But within his sample, he says, the results hold. He reasons that insecure kids look for the reassurance provided by tradition and authority, and find it in conservative politics. The more confident kids are eager to explore alternatives to the way things are, and find liberal politics more congenial.


http://susiemadrak.com/2006/03/20/07/01/you-mean-they-really-are-whiny-ass-titty-babies/

​

 

[tiznow]

stereotyping is fun!!!

that's one thing liberals are good at that....

also if you look at young liberals (a bulk of people 20 and younger are liberals...makes sense they never worked a day in their life....and liberalism sounds great on paper) they tend to be in search of something, they need to fit in to society, did you see american idol last night!!??, that celebrity is so cool i want to get my haircut just like that, and they tend to do illicit behaviors such as doing drugs, having lots of sex, or whatever

honestly when i was 20 i would have considered myself a liberal if i really gave a shit about politics

as i've aged and become more confident in myself i've become more conservative to now the near anarchist point of view....

being a TRUE conservative today (again i put that disclaimer cause only guy like ron paul are conservatives in my book as far as elected officials) takes alot of wilpower and confidence

as you are in a deep minority with all the liberalism that constantly surrounds you

 

[RobFunk]

but what they’re really doing is inventing facts or ignoring facts so that they can rationalize decisions they’ve already made

Yes. This is what I have discovered over the years.

 

[tiznow]

what you liberals don't get is you are comparing liberals with each other

conservatives are historically CONSERVATIVE when it comes to war and foreign policy and use it only when necessary

conservatives don't want to have anything to do with abortion at the FEDERAL level

conservatives don't want to have anything to do with drugs at the FEDERAL level

conservatives aren't caught being homos

conservatives tend to be chrisitian family values with good wholesome families like a ron paul has and they want to portray this happy family values to the population at large....they don't want to force it onto people

conservatives want to lead by example not by force

liberals like to force things...they like to decide things...they like to enforce things....they like to make lots of laws....they like to tax....they like to spend...etc..etc..

that's the big reason reason the GOP has gone so far down hill

they started acting like liberals trying to force their values onto people.....as people within their party were doing liberal non moral things in their private lives.....

and the whole war on terror thing too.....

 

[Willie99]

:lol:

a loon talking about logic, good one. The bullshit around here gets deeper by the second, such stupidity is really second to none.

A fucking crackpot thinks he can analyze conservatives, priceless

 

[fletchisrhsm]

what you liberals don't get is you are comparing liberals with each other

conservatives are historically CONSERVATIVE when it comes to war and foreign policy and use it only when necessary

conservatives don't want to have anything to do with abortion at the FEDERAL level

conservatives don't want to have anything to do with drugs at the FEDERAL level

conservatives aren't caught being homos

conservatives tend to be chrisitian family values with good wholesome families like a ron paul has and they want to portray this happy family values to the population at large....they don't want to force it onto people

conservatives want to lead by example not by force

liberals like to force things...they like to decide things...they like to enforce things....they like to make lots of laws....they like to tax....they like to spend...etc..etc..

that's the big reason reason the GOP has gone so far down hill

they started acting like liberals trying to force their values onto people.....as people within their party were doing liberal non moral things in their private lives.....

and the whole war on terror thing too.....

Quoted for truth.

 

[Kiln]

stereotyping is fun!!!

that's one thing liberals are good at that....

also if you look at young liberals (a bulk of people 20 and younger are liberals...makes sense they never worked a day in their life....and liberalism sounds great on paper) they tend to be in search of something, they need to fit in to society, did you see american idol last night!!??, that celebrity is so cool i want to get my haircut just like that, and they tend to do illicit behaviors such as doing drugs, having lots of sex, or whatever

honestly when i was 20 i would have considered myself a liberal if i really gave a shit about politics

as i've aged and become more confident in myself i've become more conservative to now the near anarchist point of view....

being a TRUE conservative today (again i put that disclaimer cause only guy like ron paul are conservatives in my book as far as elected officials) takes alot of wilpower and confidence

as you are in a deep minority with all the liberalism that constantly surrounds you

It's not stereotyping. It's the results of a scientific inquiry.
This line from the report, though, is sort of funny in the context of your rant, no? "“Voters think that they’re thinking,” Bartels says, “but what they’re really doing is inventing facts or ignoring facts so that they can rationalize decisions they’ve already made.”

 

[Willie99]

It's not stereotyping. It's the results of a scientific inquiry.
This line from the report, though, is sort of funny in the context of your rant, no? "“Voters think that they’re thinking,” Bartels says, “but what they’re really doing is inventing facts or ignoring facts so that they can rationalize decisions they’ve already made.”

Of course, you've got to be a loon to think this describes conservatives but not liberals. I can't really describe how little respect for anyone that actually believes such. this is a problem for many people from all walks of life, and we don't need some study to see this.

Furthermore, it appears the results of your scientific study have been contaminated by the very type of thinking they believe they discovered.

Weird uh, but 100% true.

Do lefties even think about what they're saying?


Science? OMG please tell me you're joking, or I'll never be able to read one of your posts with a straight face again.

 

[tiznow]

that's in reference to being wrong about the bubba deficit

of course the average run of the mill dubya supporting "conservative" is a moron...no offense willie

do you even understand why the deficit shrank kiln? or you just think its cause of bubba

he's the POTUS and he controls the economy....blah, blah, blah

bubba had the low UE, massive tax revenues, less people sucking off the government tit welfare system, during his tenure due to the tech stock market bubble

plus the GOP had the majority to get budget cuts done and stuff

history has shown best setup for fiscal responsibility is democrat president and republican congress.....

can you type more than two sentences of original thought my man....or you just gonna continue to C&P

 

[roadreeler57]

Veteran psychiatrist calls liberals mentally ill
<!-- end head --><!-- deck -->[SIZE=+1]Publishes extensive study on 'Psychological Causes of Political Madness'[/SIZE]
<!-- end deck -->
<HR SIZE=1>[SIZE=-1]Posted: November 12, 2008
6:33 pm Eastern

[/SIZE]<!--- copywrite only show on NON commentary pages as per joseph meeting 8/23/06 ------>[SIZE=-1]<!-- copyright -->© 2009 WorldNetDaily <!-- end copyright -->[/SIZE]

<!-- begin bodytext --><TABLE align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=180>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
[COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]WASHINGTON[/COLOR][/COLOR] – Just when liberals thought it was safe to start identifying themselves as such, an acclaimed, veteran [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]psychiatrist[/COLOR][/COLOR] is making the case that the ideology motivating them is actually a mental disorder.
"Based on strikingly irrational beliefs and emotions, modern liberals relentlessly undermine the most important principles on which our freedoms were founded," says Dr. Lyle Rossiter, author of the new book, "The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness." "Like spoiled, angry children, they rebel against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and demand that a parental government meet their needs from cradle to grave."
While political activists on the other side of the spectrum have made similar observations, Rossiter boasts professional credentials and a life virtually free of activism and links to "the vast right-wing conspiracy."
For more than 35 years he has diagnosed and treated more than 1,500 patients as a board-certified clinical psychiatrist and examined more than 2,700 civil and criminal cases as a board-certified forensic psychiatrist. He received his medical and psychiatric [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]training[/COLOR][/COLOR] at the University of [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]Chicago[/COLOR][/COLOR].
Rossiter says the kind of liberalism being displayed by both Barack Obama and his Democratic primary opponent Hillary Clinton can only be understood as a psychological disorder.
(Story continues below)

"A social scientist who understands human nature will not dismiss the vital roles of free choice, voluntary cooperation and moral integrity – as liberals do," he says. "A political leader who understands human nature will not ignore individual differences in talent, drive, personal appeal and work ethic, and then try to impose [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]economic[/COLOR][/COLOR] and social equality on the population – as liberals do. And a legislator who understands human nature will not create an environment of rules which over-regulates and over-taxes the nation's citizens, corrupts their character and reduces them to wards of the state – as liberals do."
Dr. Rossiter says the liberal agenda preys on weakness and feelings of inferiority in the population by:

• creating and reinforcing perceptions of victimization;
• satisfying infantile claims to entitlement, indulgence and [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]compensation[/COLOR][/COLOR];
• augmenting primitive feelings of envy;
• rejecting the sovereignty of the individual, subordinating him to the will of the government.

"The roots of liberalism – and its associated madness – can be clearly identified by understanding how children develop from infancy to adulthood and how distorted development produces the irrational beliefs of the liberal mind," he says. "When the modern liberal mind whines about imaginary victims, rages against imaginary villains and seeks above all else to run the lives of persons competent to run their own lives, the neurosis of the liberal mind becomes painfully obvious."
<SCRIPT src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=56494
<HR width="16%" SIZE=1>Related special offers:
Get your copy of "The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness"
Get Michael Savage's prophetic "Liberalism Is a Mental Disorder"

 

[Kiln]

It is, I know, very difficult for many minds to understand the difference between normative hypothesizing, as in the case of Lassiter's book, and social science research. Many of you who reject the social science research that points out that conservatives are whiny, insecure brats as children also reject science out of hand whenever it doesn't comport with your view of the world (e.g., global warming, evolution, etc.). That's fne by me. But at least be consistent. That means you can't quote the product of social science research (no more polls, for instance).

It contiues to tickle me that willie99 misses--apprently willfully--one of the main points of the article. Perhaps he'll give it a closer read at some point and re-read the conclusiion of the research which points out the researchers, "did not see the same 'backfire effect' when liberals were given misinformation...."

You people on the right make it very easy for those on the left to look like elites.

 

[Mistermj]

It is, I know, very difficult for many minds to understand the difference between normative hypothesizing, as in the case of Lassiter's book, and social science research. Many of you who reject the social science research that points out that conservatives are whiny, insecure brats as children also reject science out of hand whenever it doesn't comport with your view of the world (e.g., global warming, evolution, etc.). That's fne by me. But at least be consistent. That means you can't quote the product of social science research (no more polls, for instance).

It contiues to tickle me that willie99 misses--apprently willfully--one of the main points of the article. Perhaps he'll give it a closer read at some point and re-read the conclusiion of the research which points out the researchers, "did not see the same 'backfire effect' when liberals were given misinformation...."

You people on the right make it very easy for those on the left to look like elites.

:lol: I doubt Kiln has a clue why he is so funny.

This place is hilarious sometimes. @)

 

[Kiln]

This place is hilarious sometimes. @)

most times.

 

[Risk44]

I thought the funniest thing was the "Conservatives are not Homos" Larry Craig...lol

 

[quantumleap]

Guys, Kiln is referring to posts from blogs here. Are these bloggers psychologists? Do they have any experience with the topic being presented? Do they have any credibility on the subject?

 

[Kiln]

Guys, Kiln is referring to posts from blogs here. Are these bloggers psychologists? Do they have any experience with the topic being presented? Do they have any credibility on the subject?

Surely you've encountered a blog before. You can click on the red, underlined words and phrases to see either the source or corroborating evidence. But you have to have known that, no? I mean it is 2009 and all.

 

[Mistermj]

Surely you've encountered a blog before. You can click on the red, underlined words and phrases to see either the source or corroborating evidence. But you have to have known that, no? I mean it is 2009 and all.

You are now just as stupid as the conservatives in the eyes of the libs here.

Only articles from the New York Times and MSNBC count as news here.

Get up to speed will you?hno:

 

[Kiln]

You are now just as stupid as the conservatives in the eyes of the libs here.

Only articles from the New York Times and MSNBC count as news here.

Get up to speed will you?hno:

lol

 

[punter]

I thought the funniest thing was the "Conservatives are not Homos" Larry Craig...lol

Larry is not a REAL conservative.