Tits on a bull. Liberals are anything but self-reliant, instead opting to lean on Big Govt for handouts..social security, welfare, entitlements, affirmative action, etc etc etc etc etc
The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be confident, resilient, self-reliant adults. It is the researchers' own bias and wishful thinking that leads them to believe that the definition of a "liberal" is a confident, resilient, self-reliant adult, when it is evident to everyone else that the liberal is a whining, insecure adult.
It is this very insecurity that explains why they are trying to justify themselves with this so-called scientific study. The qualities of "liberal" and "conservative" are never defined explicitly -- but implied from the liberal's own wishful thinking to regard themselves as possessing positive and healthful qualities -- while imputing negative and unhealthy attributes to those who don't see them that way.
Only liberals would think up a study like this -- to address their own appalling sense of inferiority -- which is not merely a complex but the real McCoy!
Talk about insecurity -- they wrote the book!