scholarly journals Reconsidering the Link Between Self-Reported Personality Traits and Political Preferences

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
BERT N. BAKKER ◽  
YPHTACH LELKES ◽  
ARIEL MALKA
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Causal Influence ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
Psychological Attributes ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
Concurrent Assessment

Research on personality and political preferences generally assumes unidirectional causal influence of the former on the latter. However, there are reasons to believe that citizens might adopt what they perceive as politically congruent psychological attributes, or at least be motivated to view themselves as having these attributes. We test this hypothesis in a series of studies. Results of preregistered panel analyses in three countries suggest reciprocal causal influences between self-reported personality traits and political preferences. In two two-wave survey experiments, a subtle political prime at the beginning of a survey resulted in self-reported personality traits that were more aligned with political preferences gauged in a previous assessment. We discuss how concurrent assessment within the context of a political survey might overestimate the causal influence of personality traits on political preferences and how political polarization might be exacerbated by political opponents adopting different personality characteristics or self-perceptions thereof.

scholarly journals Rethinking the Link Between Self-Reported Personality Traits and Political Preferences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bert N. Bakker ◽  
Yphtach Lelkes ◽  
Ariel Malka
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Causal Influence ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
Psychological Attributes ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
Concurrent Assessment

Research on personality and political preferences generally assumes unidirectional causal influence of the former on the latter. However, there are reasons to believe that citizens might adopt what they perceive as politically congruent psychological attributes, or at least be motivated to view themselves as having these attributes. We test this hypothesis in a series of studies. Results of preregistered panel analyses in three countries suggest reciprocal causal influences between self-reported personality traits and political preferences. In two two-wave survey experiments, a subtle political prime at the beginning of a survey resulted in self-reported personality traits that were more aligned with political preferences gauged in a previous assessment. We discuss how concurrent assessment within the context of a political survey might overestimate the causal influence of personality traits on political preferences, and how political polarization might be exacerbated by political opponents adopting different personality characteristics or self-perceptions thereof.

Political Preferences, Personality Traits, and Environmentalism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alistair Soutter ◽  
René Mõttus
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Environmental Attitudes ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
Party Voting

Although the scientific evidence of anthropogenic climate change continues to grow, public discourse still reflects a high level of scepticism and political polarisation towards anthropogenic climate change. In this study (N = 499) we attempted to replicate and expand upon an earlier finding that environmental terminology (“climate change” versus “global warming”) could partly explain political polarisation in environmental scepticism (Schuldt, Konrath, & Schwarz, 2011). Participants completed a series of online questionnaires assessing personality traits, political preferences, belief in environmental phenomenon, and various pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. Those with a Conservative political orientation and/or party voting believed less in both climate change and global warming compared to those with a Liberal orientation and/or party voting. Furthermore, there was an interaction between continuously measured political orientation, but not party voting, and question wording on beliefs in environmental phenomena. Personality traits did not confound these effects. Furthermore, continuously measured political orientation was associated with pro-environmental attitudes, after controlling for personality traits, age, gender, area lived in, income, and education. The personality domains of Openness, and Conscientiousness, were consistently associated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, whereas Agreeableness was associated with pro-environmental attitudes but not with behaviours. This study highlights the importance of examining personality traits and political preferences together and suggests ways in which policy interventions can best be optimised to account for these individual differences.

Self–Other Knowledge Asymmetry (SOKA) Model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Bollich-Ziegler
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
The Self ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Self Perception ◽  
Self And Other ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Knowledge Asymmetry ◽  
Blind Spots

Despite the strong intuition that people know themselves well, much research in self-perception demonstrates the biases present when evaluating one’s own personality traits. What specifically are these blind spots in self-perceptions? Are self-perceptions always disconnected from reality? And under what circumstances might other people actually be more accurate about the self? The self–other knowledge asymmetry (SOKA) model suggests that because individuals and others differ in their susceptibility to biases or motivations and in the information they have access to, self- and other-knowledge will vary by trait. The present chapter outlines when and why other-perceptions are sometimes more accurate than self-perceptions, as well as when self-reports can be most trusted. Also discussed are next steps in the study of self- and other-knowledge, including practical, methodological, and interdisciplinary considerations and extensions. In sum, this chapter illustrates the importance of taking multiple perspectives in order to accurately understand a person.

Personality Traits in Childhood and Adolescent Headache

Cephalalgia ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Lanzi ◽  
CA Zambrino ◽  
O Ferrari-Ginevra ◽  
C Termine ◽  
S D'Arrigo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Study ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Migraine Without Aura ◽  
Tension Type Headache ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Sociodemographic Data ◽  
Type Headache ◽  
Adolescent Headache

We evaluate personality traits, anxiety and depression in a population of paediatric and adolescent patients, correlating personality characteristics with headache and sociodemographic variables. The clinical features of headache include specific personality traits. We report a clinical study of 57 patients (age 8–18 years), divided up as follows: 12 migraine with aura, 29 migraine without aura and 16 tension-type headache. One of Cattel's tests was administered to every patient; the Children's Depression Inventory test was administered to 53 patients and the Test Anxiety Inventory test to 43 subjects. The scores obtained by every patient in each test were correlated with the characteristics of headache and with sociodemographic data. We found that patients affected by idiopathic headache share some personality traits, mainly emotional rigidity and tendency to repress anger and aggression. These traits do not seem to be correlated with sociodemographic data and the duration of headache: we considered these as characteristic of migrainous patients.

PERSONALITY AND IDEOLOGY AS DETERMINANTS OF CANDIDATE PREFERENCES AND “OBAMA CONVERSION” IN THE 2008 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Jost ◽  
Tessa V. West ◽  
Samuel D. Gosling
Keyword(s):  
Political Behavior ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Political System ◽  
Electoral Politics ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Politics And Government ◽  
John Mccain ◽  
Political Preferences

AbstractWe conducted a longitudinal study involving 734 college students over a three-month period that included the 2008 U.S. presidential election. The study investigated factors such as respondents' personality characteristics and ideological proclivities in predicting perceptions of the major candidates and both stability and change in voting preferences for Barack Obama and John McCain. Previous research on personality and political orientation suggests that Openness to New Experiences is positively associated with liberal political preferences, whereas Conscientiousness is positively associated with conservative preferences; we replicated these results in the context of the current study. Several ideological factors also predicted conversion to Obama's candidacy. These included respondents' degree of self-reported liberalism, perceptions of their parents as liberal (versus conservative), and lower scores on measures of authoritarianism and political system justification (i.e., support for the prevailing system of electoral politics and government). The effects of Openness and Conscientiousness on candidate preferences were statistically mediated by ideological variables, providing further evidence that general predispositions exist that link personality and political orientation, and these are likely to play a significant role in electoral politics. Implications for the integration of “top-down” (institutional) and “bottom-up” (psychological) approaches to the study of political behavior are discussed.

scholarly journals What are psychological constructs? On the nature and statistical modeling of emotions, intelligence, personality traits and mental disorders.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiko I Fried
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Statistical Modeling ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Psychological Constructs

Many scholars have raised two related questions: what are psychological constructs such as cognitions, emotions, attitudes, personality characteristics, and intelligence? And how are they best modeled statistically? This paper provides (1) an overview of common theories and statistical models, (2) connects these two domains, and (3) discusses how the recently proposed framework pragmatic nihilism (Peters & Crutzen, 2017) fits in.

Personality Traits That Distinguish Special Operations Female Aircrew

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 240-247
Author(s):  
Wayne Chappelle ◽  
Anne H. Shadle ◽  
Rachael N. Martinez ◽  
Laura E. Reardon ◽  
Tanya Goodman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Air Force ◽  
Openness To Experience ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Special Operations ◽  
Neo Personality Inventory ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Insight Into

INTRODUCTION: U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) female aircrew represent a small group of military personnel in challenging high-risk, high-demand professions. Personality characteristics may play a key role in distinguishing those women who pursue a career as a special operations aircrew member and succeed in this pursuit. Having access to normative personality data can potentially support psychologists in assessing AFSOC female aircrew and subsequently making informed recommendations to leadership.METHODS: A total of 586 AFSOC aircrew trainees58 (9.9%) women and 528 (90.1%) mencompleted a series of computer-based psychological tests to assess cognitive ability and personality traits.RESULTS: Results indicated significant differences between female AFSOC aircrew and female civilians on four of the five NEO Personality Inventory domains: Neuroticism (M 74.9 vs. M 87.1), Extraversion (M 123.7 vs. M 112.8), Openness to Experience (M 122.6 vs. M 111.0), and Conscientiousness (M 136.0 vs. M 120.6), respectively. The comparison between female AFSOC aircrew and male AFSOC aircrew revealed significant differences across three of the five domains: Neuroticism (M 74.9 vs. M 65.1), Openness to Experience (M 122.6 vs. M 115.0), and Agreeableness (M 119.6 vs. M 112.7), respectively.DISCUSSION: Implications for assessment and interpretation of psychological testing are discussed. This paper provides a unique perspective and insight into those who pursue and excel in this career field. Identifying specific personality traits in our AFSOC female aircrew allows for tailored care and support when evaluating readiness in special operations aircrew for optimizing performance.Chappelle W, Shadle AH, Martinez RN, Reardon LE, Goodman T, Spencer H, Thompson W. Personality traits that distinguish special operations female aircrew. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(4):240247.

scholarly journals Hitchhiking: Associations With Big Five and Emotional Competences

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412095355
Author(s):  
Sylvain Laborde ◽  
Sebastian Gerlach ◽  
Robert Vaughan
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Big Five Inventory ◽  
Study Participants

After a decrease in its practice, the interest in hitchhiking is currently renewed. However, so far, very little is known about the personality characteristics of hitchhikers. Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate the associations between hitchhiking and personality traits, with the Big Five and emotional competences. Five hundred and seventy-eight travellers (452 hitchhikers, Mage = 28.4 years old; and 126 non-hitchhikers, Mage = 27.7 years old) took part in the study. Participants completed an online survey including hitchhiking behaviour, the Big Five Inventory, and the Profile for Emotional Competences. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, hitchhiking was found to be positively associated with openness, and negatively associated with neuroticism. No associations were found with emotional competences. These findings improve our understanding of the personality characteristics associated with hitchhiking, however longitudinal studies are required to understand how hitchhiking is related to personality.

Another look at Pastoral Candidates’ Personality Traits

1992 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Thorson
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Research Note ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Male And Female

The purpose of this research note is to comment upon a study by Jayne Patrick that appeared in the Summer, 1991, issue of this Journal (“Personality Characteristics of Male and Female Pastoral Candidates,” 19 [2], 186–196), suggest some alternative norms for comparisons for part of the data she presented, and provide additional data for purposes of comparison.

Personal networks and psychological attributes: Exploring individual differences in personality and sense of community and their relationship to the structure of personal networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isidro Maya-Jariego ◽  
Srebrenka Letina ◽  
Elena González Tinoco
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Ego Networks ◽  
Network Measures ◽  
Psychological Attributes ◽  
Psychological Differences ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe paper explores the relationship between personality characteristics, sense of community and the structure of personal networks. We collected personal network data from 100 adults, consisting of the information about their 45 alters and ties among them. In addition to the typically used bivariate correlations to analyze the relationship between individual psychological differences and network structure, we propose first the use of typologies of networks and personality and second modified versions of the triadic census in ego-networks. The results show that different personality types tend to occupy a different kind of networks and that newly introduced triadic measures show a relatively higher association with examined psychological attributes than global network measures. Overall, the Psychological Sense of Community showed higher associations with network measures than Big Five personality traits. The former was positively correlated with measures of closed triads among alters, but also with alters embedded in triads with weak ties. Regarding personality traits, Emotional Stability was positively correlated with strong closed triads and with the overall indicator of density. The elaboration of typologies and the census of triads are shown to be effective strategies for the description of personal networks, as well as for the analysis of individual psychological differences.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document