Abstract
Blatantly observable in the U.S. currently, the political chasm grows, representing a prototype of political polarization in most if not all western democratic political systems. Differential political psychology strives to trace back increasingly polarized political convictions to differences on the individual level. Recent evolutionary informed approaches suggest that interindividual differences in political orientation reflect differences in group-mindedness and cooperativeness. Contrarily, the existence of meaningful associations between political orientation, personality traits, and interpersonal behavior has been questioned critically. Here, we shortly review evidence showing that these relationships do exist, which supports the assumption that political orientation is deeply rooted in the human condition. Potential reasons for the premature rejection of these relationships and directions for future research are outlined and implications for refinements and extensions of evolutionary informed approaches are derived.
Highlights
The Two-Fold Benefits of Differential Political PsychologyBesides shedding light on social aspects as political communication and intergroup-relations, political psychology encompasses a differential perspective treating a person’s political orientation or “ideology” as a trait with potential explanatory power for experience and behavior in- and outside of the political sphere (Jost, 2017; Claessens et al, 2020)
Thorough definitions of the psychological foundations of political orientation enhance the comprehensibility of political phenomena, ranging from the intriguing ideological consistency of issue stances and voting intentions (Jost, 2006) to only superficially
Here, we summarize research examining political orientation’s associations with personality and interpersonal behavior in controlled experiments and attempt a tentative integration within an evolutionary framework
Summary
Besides shedding light on social aspects as political communication and intergroup-relations, political psychology encompasses a differential perspective treating a person’s political orientation or “ideology” as a trait with potential explanatory power for experience and behavior in- and outside of the political sphere (Jost, 2017; Claessens et al, 2020). Such a conceptualization promises benefits in two directions: First, people’s political orientation, often exhibited strongly and willfully, may provide psychologists with hints to the person’s personality structure and behavioral inclinations. If the claimed independence of personal, interpersonal, and political dispositions were supported, the approach of Claessens et al (2020) would be rendered implausible
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