On Mon, 18 Oct 2004, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
> How else would you explain these ideological "crossovers" if not by
> cognitive styles? Those who liked certitude guaranteed by authority were
> with the authoritarian "communist" party in E. Europe and turned into an
> authoritarian party in the US. Those who were dissidents and disliked such
> authoritarian rebelled against the authoritarian "communist" party in E.
> Europe and rebel against the authoritarian repugs here.
>
> Wojtek
I don't know why the causal path from political views to cognitive styles is so implausible. People who are socialized into certain political beliefs will gravitate to cognitive styles that allow them to justify and strengthen their political beliefs. That said, I agree that cognitive style could also push people towards different political perspectives.
It's a tangled, convoluted web of causal relations here. (Don't you love psychology?)
Miles