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Social psychology and politics
Social psychology and politics

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2.1 Consolidation quiz

Before you go on to the next section, check your understanding of some key concepts that have been covered here.

Activity 2 Consolidation quiz

a. 

(a) The set of traits, needs, values, self-beliefs, and social attitudes that determine a person’s personal identity


b. 

(b) Relatively stable over time


c. 

(c) Useful in predicting people’s political beliefs, attitudes and behaviours


d. 

(d) All of the above


The correct answer is d.

Discussion

D is the correct answer here. Traditionally, personality is viewed by psychologists as the collection of traits, needs, values, self-beliefs and social attitudes that determine personal identity and are relatively stable across time and context. Research shows that personality can have an impact on political beliefs, attitudes and behaviours.

a. 

(a) Introverted personality


b. 

(b) Neurotic personality


c. 

(c) Authoritarian personality


d. 

(d) Democratic personality


The correct answer is c.

Discussion

C is the correct answer here. In The Authoritarian Personality, Adorno et al. (1950) proposed a specific set of personality characteristics (the ‘authoritarian personality’) characterised by prejudiced and anti-democratic political beliefs.

a. 

(a) No relation between personality and political behaviour


b. 

(b) That personality can impact on voting preferences


c. 

(c) That personality is not a useful concept for this field of study


d. 

(d) That personality does not exist


The correct answer is b.

Discussion

B is the correct answer here. Research shows that those who vote for different political parties are also different at the level of their individual psychologies, and that this can explain their differences in voting patterns.