ARE CONSERVATIVES MORE SENSITIVE TO THREAT THAN LIBERALS? IT DEPENDS ON HOW WE DEFINE THREAT AND CONSERVATISM

The motivated social cognition and negativity bias perspectives each posit that threat is especially related to political conservatism, such that threat causes people to adopt politically conservative beliefs, and that political conservatives are especially responsive to threatening stimuli. In this review, I argue that there is a kernel of truth to these perspectives, but that they each define both threat and conservatism too broadly. I review evidence supporting a Compensatory Political Behavior (CPB) Model, which posits that whereas liberals and conservatives are similarly influenced by and responsive to meaning threats, conservatives, and in particular social conservatives, are differentially influenced by and responsive to physical threats. The CPB model suggests that whereas some political beliefs are more deeply rooted in psychological predispositions, others reflect more surface-based ideological motives. I conclude with suggestions for future research to test the model's predictions regarding the relationship between threat and political ideology.