Masterseminar - "The surprising origins of left-wing and right-wing political and conspiracy beliefs" - Einzelansicht

Beginn 15.4.24

ECTS: 3

People who hold right-wing (or conservative) political beliefs are thought to be more authoritarian, rigid, prejudiced, fearful and susceptible to conspiracy beliefs than those who hold left-wing (or liberal) beliefs. However, emerging evidence suggests that liberals equally exhibit these traits and characteristics, an indication that leftist and rightists exhibit similar psychological make up. Although researchers generally agree that there are psychological similarities and differences between leftists and rightists, the origins and sources of these differences remain a subject of debate. Why is this the case? What are the origins of these psychological differences and similarities? Are the differences between leftist are rightists genetically and neurologically hard-wired or malleable? Is there a conspiracy among (liberal) academics to portray conservatives and rightists in a bad light and associate negative traits and attributes to them? Or are the supposed psychological differences between conservatives and liberals just a product of the stimuli, materials and procedures used to assess individual differences? What can neurobiology and social cognition tell us about political phenomena? How do psychological differences in ideological beliefs systems enhance understanding of political polarization? In this seminar, we will dig deeper into these issues in the hope of understanding the antecedents and consequences of left and right-wing ideological and conspiratorial belief systems.