Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How to spot a baby conservative
THE STAR ^ | 03/22/06 | KURT KLEINER

Posted on 03/22/2006 7:00:47 AM PST by sandbar

Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.

At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals.

The study from the Journal of Research Into Personality isn't going to make the UC Berkeley professor who published it any friends on the right. Similar conclusions a few years ago from another academic saw him excoriated on right-wing blogs, and even led to a Congressional investigation into his research funding.

But the new results are worth a look. 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.

In a society that values self-confidence and out-goingness, it's a mostly flattering picture for liberals. It also runs contrary to the American stereotype of wimpy liberals and strong conservatives.

Of course, if you're studying the psychology of politics, you shouldn't be surprised to get a political reaction. Similar work by John T. Jost of Stanford and colleagues in 2003 drew a political backlash. The researchers reviewed 44 years worth of studies into the psychology of conservatism, and concluded that people who are dogmatic, fearful, intolerant of ambiguity and uncertainty, and who crave order and structure are more likely to gravitate to conservatism. Critics branded it the "conservatives are crazy" study and accused the authors of a political bias.

Jost welcomed the new study, saying it lends support to his conclusions. But Jeff Greenberg, a social psychologist at the University of Arizona who was critical of Jost's study, was less impressed.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barf; goebbelswouldbeproud; liberalism; mentaldisorder; propaganda; thebiglie; whatapantload
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-111 next last
To: sandbar
psychosis [sy.KO.sis] (n).

“The inability to distinguish between what is real and what is imaginary. Psychosis is a term used to describe a severe mental illness. Psychotics are characterized by a variety of symptoms that most people consider abnormal. These include experiencing delusions, such as the notion that one is being persecuted or conspired against. Psychotics may see things which don't actually exist and hear Voices (i.e. God) when no one is around. They often exhibit compulsive, irrational, ritualized behavior, esp. when such behavior serves no purpose or is even harmful or disruptive to those around them. They show no concern for others but may exhibit total self-centered behavior. Includes sociopathy, schizophrenia.”

DSM-IV

22,310 gun laws is not enough! We won’t stop this senseless violence until we have 22, 311 gun laws! And a GPS installed in every gun! And we hang everyone who buys more than one gun a year! And we let convicted child molesters vote! I am the Walrus, Ko Ko Katchoo!”

41 posted on 03/22/2006 7:23:12 AM PST by pabianice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: krb
How to spot a Conservative Babe

See, now there's a worthwhile study!

42 posted on 03/22/2006 7:24:43 AM PST by softwarecreator (Facts are to liberals as holy water is to vampires.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

So, whiney, insecure adults, who run to government authority figures to solve every little quibble, were confident and secure as children? You've got to be kidding me.


43 posted on 03/22/2006 7:24:59 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

BWWWWaaaaaaaahhaaaahhaaahaaaaa.

Wow. aint nobody any more insecure than a whiney, victimized, liberal *sshole.


44 posted on 03/22/2006 7:26:00 AM PST by Vaquero (time again for the Crusades.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

45 posted on 03/22/2006 7:26:27 AM PST by dubie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

Ahh! The Big Lie- A favorite of that other socialist, you know, the National one.


46 posted on 03/22/2006 7:26:28 AM PST by D.P.Roberts
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar
Here is a little experiment for Professor SH*t-for-Brains:

Go to the jails, the porn filming set, the rehab centers, the NAMBLA website, any communist or socialist website and count up the liberals vs. conservatives. I dare you.

47 posted on 03/22/2006 7:30:19 AM PST by subterfuge ("We're going to take things from you for the greater good..."---Hillary Rod-Ham Clinton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar
The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests.

That must explain all of the non-conforming liberals who challenge liberal orthodoxy. Oh, wait a minute, there aren't (m)any liberals who challenge liberal orthodoxy. Rather, the typical liberal is as intolerant as the typical Muslim cleric when confronted with anything that remotely challenges their cherished preconceptions. Both of them will go to extreme lengths to violently shout down the merest hint of heresy.

The authors look at liberals, a group of people who cling desperately to a single, narrowly-tailored ideology and will stifle any dissent from the true path, and somehow they manage to see those constipated souls as "non-conforming adults". No bias there, huh? This study is garbage.

48 posted on 03/22/2006 7:30:31 AM PST by The Electrician ("Government is the only enterprise in the world which expands in size when its failures increase.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar
The study is probably correct. All a helpless little conservative baby surrounded by the insane liberal babble of his/her lame brained nannies in day care and preschool can do about the situation, is whine to express his/her opinion and their feelings of insecurity and alienation.

Later on, upon reaching maturity and discovering there are adults rational enough to hold similar views and moral values as themselves, they become Conservative Republicans and leave the whining and insecurity to the eternally immature liberal democrats.
49 posted on 03/22/2006 7:31:02 AM PST by F.J. Mitchell (President Bush isn't absolutely perfect,but he is absolutely less flawed than his critics .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #50 Removed by Moderator

To: strings6459

I got beat up a lot in school. I became a conservative when I started fighting back.


51 posted on 03/22/2006 7:32:10 AM PST by SlowBoat407 (The best stuff happens just before the thread snaps.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

I'm more interested in why certain people become involved in politics and others do not. Why are some people, liberal or conservative leaning, so passionately drawn to politics while I'd say 40% of the population couldn't care less? I can relate to people on either side of the spectrum because in terms of personality all politically active people have common traits. They care about things larger than their everyday concerns, they care what other people think and they feed off the competition of ideas. Personally I'm delighted to meet a person of any political stripe just so long as they're up for talking about current issues.

For the life of me I don't get politically apathetic people. I mean yeah I get people who made an effort to care at one point and then became disgusted but that's not most of em. Most of em just couldn't care and never did, more often they're women but not always. I'd like to see somebody study that, maybe figure out why half the country doesn't vote.


52 posted on 03/22/2006 7:32:24 AM PST by planetpatrol
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: sandbar
Block admits in his paper that liberal raving moonbat Berkeley is not representative of the whole country.

There. Fixed it.

53 posted on 03/22/2006 7:33:08 AM PST by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of Ye Chase, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

This whole thing is a total lie based on a fase premise that liberals grow up.


54 posted on 03/22/2006 7:35:09 AM PST by E=MC<sup>2</sup> (Are liberals born stupid, or do they have to work at it???)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

If I were a conservative in Berkely, I'd feel like everyone was out to get me too.


55 posted on 03/22/2006 7:37:18 AM PST by Pessimist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Shalom Israel
little kids who picked their noses and ate the boogers all grew up liberal

FOXNEWS ran a story about a recent study that said little kids who picked their noses and ate it grew up to be more resistant to diseases and were overall healthier. GROSS!

56 posted on 03/22/2006 7:38:02 AM PST by ExSoldier (Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on dinner. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

This article, is about 2 degrees of separation from declaring conservatism a mental disorder. Soon, 'treatment' will be ordered for the 'disease'; something along the lines of what communists practice with their re-education' camps.


57 posted on 03/22/2006 7:38:36 AM PST by 6SJ7
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

UC Berkeley professor.
Well yes that is certainly a credible disinterested source. That's like asking Jack Chick about the Catholic Church or Osama Bin Laden about the war in Iraq.

I would rely on his stats as much as I would rely on
" The Check Is In The Mail". If whiny kids grow up to be conservatives why don't conservatives continue the victim mentality through out life. Instead they are self reliant informed citizens who are beholden to no one for their life's successes. They also do not blame others for their life's failures. In short they GROW UP. Liberals never grow up but are always looking for a tit to suck ( pardon the expression but you know what I mean).


58 posted on 03/22/2006 7:38:38 AM PST by lastchance (Hug your babies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar
They really have this study backwards...Image hosting by Photobucket
59 posted on 03/22/2006 7:38:57 AM PST by mystery-ak (Army Wife and Army Mother.....toughest job in the military)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sandbar

"The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests."

What spin!

Let's translate:

"The confident (cocky) kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose (doing nothing) , turning into bright (smart @ssed), non-conforming (has an arrest record)adults with wide interests (still aimless)."



60 posted on 03/22/2006 7:40:37 AM PST by Pessimist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-111 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson