Left and Right: The Psychological Significance of a Political Distinction

This book brings together for the first time an updated, revised collection of influential essays and articles that capture some of the most exciting scientific and scholarly contributions to the topic of political ideology. John Jost tackles fundamental questions about how psychology, neuroscience, and societal factors impact political attitudes and group divisions. In what sense, if any, are ordinary citizens ＂ideological＂? Is it useful to locate political attitudes on a single dimension of representation? Are there meaningful differences in the beliefs, opinions, and values of leftists and rights-or liberals and conservatives? How are personality traits related to ideological preferences? What situational or contextual factors contribute to liberal and conservative shifts in the general population? What are the implications of ideological polarization for the future of democracy? Drawing on Max Weber’s concept of elective affinities, one of the world’s leading political psychologists discusses the myriad ways in people choose ideas and ideas choose people.

John T. Jost is Professor of Psychology, Politics, and Data Science and Co-Director of the Center for Social and Political Behavior at New York University. He has received numerous awards for his research and writing, including the Carol and Ed Diener Award in Social Psychology. He has served on many editorial boards and executive committees of professional societies and is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Association of Psychological Science. Professor Jost is a past President of the International Society of Political Psychology and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.