Political Conservatism as a Motivated Cognition Criminology Essay
Conservatism, political doctrine that emphasizes the value of traditional institutions and practices. Conservatism is a preference for the historically inherited rather than the abstract and ideal. This conservatism is partly a belief in pragmatism, which means not changing things unless there is a very good reason to do so. Traditional Conservatives believe in reform where necessary. They respect public order and are convinced that the government should not interfere too much with the way people live their lives. A longitudinal test of the model of political conservatism as motivated social cognition. Miriam Matthews, Miriam Matthews. Claremont Graduate University. These longitudinal results are discussed in terms of a model of political conservatism as motivated social cognition. -936; Overall, our findings do not provide evidence for a one-way relationship between political orientation and the propensity to accept or resist change. These findings therefore challenge theoretical and lay assumptions regarding general, context-independent psychological differences underlying political ideologies. In this article we summarize the main principles of a model of political ideology as motivated social cognition. in Psychol 339-375, 2003a, Psychol 389-393, 2003b. The core ideology of conservatism emphasizes resistance to change and justification of inequality and is motivated by needs that vary situationally and dispositionally to manage uncertainty and threat. Analyzing political conservatism as motivated social cognition integrates theories of personality authoritarianism,