Posted on 12/20/2005 7:51:32 AM PST by BarryR
THE PSYCHE OF THE LEFT
I found this gem in James Taranto's on-line column yesterday. In 2003 a sociologist from Rutgers University named Ted Goertzel wrote a paper in which he offered some insight into the psyche of the left. Interesting reading. Here you go:
In the 1970s, Stanley Rothman and Robert Lichter administered Thematic Apperception Tests to a large sample of "new left" radicals (Roots of Radicalism, 1982). They found that activists were characterized by weakened self-esteem, injured narcissism and paranoid tendencies. They were preoccupied with power and attracted to radical ideologies that offered clear and unambiguous answers to their questions. . . .
The unwillingness to offer alternatives reveals a lack of self-confidence and self-esteem. If they offered their own policy ideas they would be vulnerable to criticism. They would run the risk that their ideas would fail, or would not seem persuasive to others. This is especially difficult for anti-capitalists after the fall of the Soviet Union. It has also been difficult in the war against terrorism because Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are such unsympathetic figures. Psychologically, it is easier to blame America for not finding a solution than it is to put one's own ideas on the line.
And here I thought that I was the one turning a personality disorder into a pretty good living. These people make me look absolutely sane.
(Excerpt) Read more at boortz.com ...
Not to mention buncha dopers.
A more trustworthy test might have been an exhaustive personality inventory like the Missouri Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), IMHO. It is filled out by the subject who answers MANY questions by selecting multiple choice answers. There are built-in checks on it like a "lie score" to see if the subject is either having some fun with the test or trying to conceal certain personality traits.
No psychological test is perfect, of course, but the TAT is really quite subjective and perhaps less trustworthy than some other personality instruments.
"Missouri Multiphasic Personality Inventory"
All of my personalities took this exam and were quite impressed with how perceptive the results were.
And that's only gotten worse. The Dems would cheerfully lose Iraq to radical Islamists if it meant they would win back Congress in the 2006 elections.
All the pot I smoked in college and the immediate years following... NEVER turned me into a leftist or gave me leftist sympathies.
Yeah well you're still a doper.
You are likely correct, but a truly bad test would be one that showed the libs to be well-balanced and mature.
I've taken this a couple of times. It is not nearly as bulletproof as some would like to believe. The check questions are easily spotted, and only a cretin would have trouble remaining consistent in his responses.
I have to disagree with your evaluation of the TAT. Raters use a sophisticated category system when scoring subject responses to the TAT. Typically raters are trained prior to the rating and inter-rater reliability scores are computed afterwards to see if all raters are using the category the same way. It can certainly be abused, but when properly executed it is a reliable and valid measurement approach. And since I'm obviously in the professor mode, let me also suggest that the first "M" in the MMPI stands for Minnesota, not Missouri.
I'm going to read more on this research because it is very consistent with how I see many of my liberal academic friends and colleagues. And, if you are old enough you might recall the interesting and controversial studies in the authoritian personality by Professor Adorno in the 1950s and 1960s which (to my mind at any rate) also explain some of the less attractive features of some of my conservative friends and colleagues.
Interesting post and thread. Thanks for getting it started.
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