The Psychology of Liberalism vs.. Conservatism


Webster's dictionary defines the following:

Conservative - To preserve. The political view that advocates for the preservation of established beliefs, practices, and institutions

Liberal - To give openhandedly. Open minded. The political view that advocates for greater individual economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and the advancement of civil rights.

Additionally, there are only two methods for a person to deal with a new piece of information.

1. The person can assimilate the information. This involves changing the information to fit one's existing belief system.

2. The person can accommodate the information. This involves changing ones belief system in light of the new information.

Putting it together

Conservative and liberal thinking can not be separated from conservative and liberal politics.

By definition, conservatives tend to attempt to preserve their belief systems. They do this by assimilating information. The information is distorted and not perceived accurately. Allowing their belief systems to remain ridged and unchanged. As a result, personal growth reaches an impasse. They often tend to see the world in black and white terms. "You are either with us or against us". "You are either for war, or you're an ally of Saddam Hussein". They are not usually free thinkers, but the sheep of our society. However, this approach can be beneficial to the person in the short term. Cognitive dissonance and change are stressful. Conservatism allows a person to avoid the painful and time consuming process of reviewing and revising their cognitive structures.

On the other hand, liberals, by definition, are open minded. They actively refine their cognitive schema to accommodate new information. This leads to personal growth and development. An ever changing view of an ever changing world. They see the world, not in black and white terms, but in it's many shades of gray. They can "support the troops yet protest against war". They can be against abortion, yet protect a woman's right to choose. As opposed to the rigidity of conservatism that often breeds self-righteousness, liberals can change their mind and admit they were wrong. However this is often exploited by conservatives as "flip-flopping".

Without Liberal thinkers and politics, there would be no progress. We would all still be Europeans, thinking that the world was flat. We would still believe that the earth is the center of the universe, and that there is nothing wrong with owning another human being as a slave. With conservative thinkers and politics, we are restricted to the failed policies and views of the past. A time warp back to the 1980's. Not even the names have changed.