The Effect of Life Events on Personality, Authoritarianism, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Effect of Life Events on Personality, Authoritarianism, Conservatism, and Language: Developing a Model of Beliefs across Cultures Mark A. Hamilton, University of Connecticut and Chulalongkorn University Jirayudh Sinthuphan, Chulalongkorn University Shaw Hong Ser, Chulalongkorn University

The Problem • In the West, conservatives are known for their verbal aggressiveness • Right-wing media such as Fox News , NewsMax , and WorldNetDaily are populated by personalities like Rush Limbaugh, Morning Joe, Imus in the Morning, and Glenn Beck

Strident Personalities • These personalities often go beyond staking out their traditionalist position on issues to zealously savage their political opponents. • Such conservative media attacks fit the definition of verbal aggression (Infante & Wigley, 1986).

Conservative Aggression • Campaign positioning by Republican Presidential candidates in this year’s primary race are rife with aggressive rhetoric against minorities • Donald Trump’s invectives against Mexicans, Muslims, and the disabled. • Consequences of broadcast mauling of centrist and left-wing political opponents are ominous: verbal aggression has been shown to lead directly to physical aggression

Trend in the West • Across the West, there has been a rise in rampage killings (Hamilton, 2016) that are driven by a traditionalist agenda. • A majority of states in America host militia movements. • Armed militias have become a menace in Oregon, Texas, and other states, leading to armed standoffs or even violent confrontations with the government.

Home Grown Terror • The Oklahoma City bombings were carried out by perpetrators with a conservative agenda. • The Breivik massacres in Norway are another prime example of right-driven violence.

East on West Aggression • Conservative assaults are not, however, confined to the West. • Islamic extremist groups with an eye toward instituting sharia law or even establishing a sharia caliphate present a real and present danger to the West. • Attacks by Islamic State militants have targeted France, Belgium, England, and the United States.

East on East Violence • The campaign of terror by Islamic militants is even more ferocious in the East. • Daily bombings and attacks occur throughout the middle-east –in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, and Libya. • Such bombings or rampage killings have also occurred further south and east -- in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and of course Thailand.

Research Questions RQ1: Why is there persistent, global covariation between conservatism and verbal aggression (along with subsequent physical aggression)? RQ2: Do different aspects of conservatism differentially influence verbal aggression?

The Positive Correlation • It could be a sign of a spurious relationship between conservatism and verbal aggression Verbal Conservatism Aggression • It could be a sign of a causal relationship in which conservatism increases verbal aggression Verbal Conservatism Aggression

Cultural Conservatism • People form their beliefs based on Interpersonal interpersonal interaction with others first, Experience and then extend those beliefs to groups of others, finally extending those beliefs to more general policy for organizations and cultures Group Affiliation • It is plausible, even likely, that these different aspects of conservatism may not have the same impact on verbal Organizational aggressiveness Policy

A Confluence Model • Based on Belief Systems Theory (Hamilton, 2012; Hamilton & Hample, 2011; Hamilton & Mineo, 1996, 1999; Hamilton & Tafoya, 2012; Rokeach, 1956, 1958, 1960; Tafoya & Hamilton, 2012) • Proposes three affect systems that operate as a physiological substrate for processes that constrain effects across belief systems

The Structure of Beliefs • Belief systems organized along a central-peripheral dimension based on degree of neural connectedness • Personality is the most central, attitudes the most peripheral with ethno-logics providing a justification of attitudes from personality

Personality Ethnologics Social Consequences Authoritarian Self-Concept Temperament Attitudes & Language Behaviors Competencies Justification Emotional Justification Critical Justification

Affect Systems • Individualistic: gives rise to selfish, negative emotions • Cooperative: gives rise to prosocial, positive emotions • Homeostatic: governs homeostasis of basic physiological process and by extension emotional balance

Personality Ethnologics Social Consequences Self-Concept Temperament Attitudes & Language Behaviors Competencies Individualistic Authoritarian Justification Affect System Homeostatic Emotional Affect System Justification Cooperative Rational Justification Affect System

Stressors The Impact of Life Events • Stress is a trigger for the Life Events individualistic affect system • Achievement is a trigger for the cooperative affect system • Background context serves as a basis for the homeostatic affect system

Variable Chains • Individualistic affect: depression to schizotypy to hostility to verbal aggression • Cooperative affect: pride to empathy to social bonding to verbal immediacy • Buffered individualistic: neuroticism to egocentrism to anxiety to equivocation • Buffered cooperative: self-esteem to narcissism to contentment to verbal collaboration

Personality Life Events Ethnologics Social Consequences Stressors Attitudes & Language Self-Concept Temperament Behaviors Verbal Physical Depression Hostility Ethnocentrism Aggression Aggression Authoritarian Justification Religious Equivocation Avoidance Anxiety Neuroticism Conservatism Emotional Justification Background Context Political Self Verbal Contentment Negotiation Conservatism Esteem Collaboration Rational Justification Economic Social Verbal Affection Pride Bonding Conservatism Immediacy Achievements

Life Events Stressors Trauma Male Sex + + Depression - .45 Need .40 Hindrance + Social Undermining Neuroticism -.19 - -.57 -.30 Media Setting Maturation Exposure Background -.16 Social + Support Self Esteem .21 Need Facilitation Age U + + + Pride Triumph Achievements

Simplified Model Person A Social Verbal Physical Trauma Undermining Aggression Aggression Social Verbal Physical Trauma Undermining Aggression Aggression Person B

Personality Ethnologics Social Consequences Authoritarian Attitudes & Language Self-Concept Temperament Behaviors Justification .54 + Verbal Physical .38 Depression Hostility Schizotypy Ethnocentrism Aggression Aggression .31 .49 .59 .67 + + .40 .35 + .67 .40 Authoritarianism .19 Religious + + .40 .68 Equivocation Avoidance Neuroticism Egocentrism Anxiety Conservatism +/- .40 .36 -.54 .15 -.64 .27 -.43 -.20 Sexual Emotionalism Conservatism Emotional - - -.77 -.47 -.55 -.44 -.36 -.50 .34 Justification Political Self + + Verbal .37 .26 Narcissism Extraversion Negotiation Conservatism Esteem Collaboration Rationalism .38 .49 .38 .60 .16 Economic + Social Verbal .82 .78 .30 Affection Pride Empathy Bonding Conservatism Immediacy Critical Justification .18 Anti-dogmatism Note. Path coefficient estimates based on past studies.

Personality Ethnologics Social Consequences Authoritarian Attitudes & Language Self-Concept Temperament Behaviors Justification .54 + Verbal Physical .38 Depression Hostility Schizotypy Ethnocentrism Aggression Aggression .31 .49 .59 .67 + + .40 .35 + .67 .40 Authoritarianism .19 Religious + + .40 .68 Equivocation Avoidance Neuroticism Egocentrism Anxiety Conservatism +/- .40 .36 -.54 .15 -.64 .27 -.43 -.20 Sexual Emotionalism Conservatism Emotional - - -.77 -.47 -.55 -.44 -.36 -.50 .34 Justification Political Self + + Verbal .37 .26 Narcissism Extraversion Negotiation Conservatism Esteem Collaboration Rationalism .38 .49 .38 .60 .16 Economic + Social Verbal .82 .78 .30 Affection Pride Empathy Bonding Conservatism Immediacy Critical Justification .18 Anti-dogmatism Note. Path coefficient estimates based on past studies.

Political Conservatism Ethnocentrism Sexual Religious Conservatism Conservatism

Cultural Conservatism .54 Verbal Physical .38 Hostility Ethnocentrism Aggressiveness Aggression .31 .67 Interpersonal + Experience .61 Behavioral .69 Rigidity Sexual Authoritarianism Conservatism Anxiety Sexual + + + .40 .36 Morality Religious -.15 Conservatism Group .77 + Affiliation -.38 Political Conservatism .60 Organizational Economic Dogmatism Policy Conservatism Tribalism as Stunted Social Bonding 3. Extension of the Cultural Conservatism Model.

Cultural Conservatism + Hostility .67 Militarism Ethnocentrism + Verbal Physical .38 .54 Aggressiveness Aggression .61 + Predation + .31 Interpersonal Experience Sexual Authoritarianism Conservatism - + Anxiety Sexual + + + .40 .36 Morality Religious -.15 Conservatism Group .77 + Affiliation -.38 Political Conservatism .60 Organizational Economic Dogmatism Policy Conservatism Tribalism as Stunted Social Bonding