By Janice Wood Associate News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 9, 2014
A new study shows that emotions have a greater influence on liberals than conservatives.
While the study, conducted by researchers at Tel Aviv University and the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and possible steps towards its resolution, researchers say the findings apply to other cultures, including liberals and conservatives in the United States.
We would expect to find similar results among rightists and leftists in other cultures, including conservatives and liberals in the U.S., because of the cross-cultural similarities in the superstructure of ideology and the needs associated with rightist versus leftist ideology and because of how these factors relate to emotional processes and their outcomes, stated lead researcher Ruthie Pliskin, a doctoral student in social psychology.
For their study, the researchers conducted six experiments to examine emotions, ideology, and how they act together to affect support for policies.
The first two studies focused on intergroup empathy, while the third study examined the interactive influence of ideology and despair on support for policies, the researchers explained.
Participants in the study identified themselves as being at different points along the right (conservative) and left (liberal) ideological spectrum.
The researchers devised a number of scenarios for the studies.
We selected our different scenarios with the aim of tackling both positive and negative developments in intergroup conflicts, eliciting a range of different emotions towards the out-group and the situation, referring to different types of out-groups, and among different in-groups, Pliskin explained.
Furthermore, we wanted to utilize both contrived, controlled scenarios, and major real-world developments, reflecting real and possible political developments.
Continue reading here:
Liberals Seem Motivated by Emotion More Than Conservatives