Confident Kids Grow Up to be Liberals

[ehaase]

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...id=970599119419

Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.

At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals.

The study from the Journal of Research Into Personality isn't going to make the UC Berkeley professor who published it any friends on the right. Similar conclusions a few years ago from another academic saw him excoriated on right-wing blogs, and even led to a Congressional investigation into his research funding.

But the new results are worth a look. In the 1960s Jack Block and his wife and fellow professor Jeanne Block (now deceased) began tracking more than 100 nursery school kids as part of a general study of personality. The kids' personalities were rated at the time by teachers and assistants who had known them for months. There's no reason to think political bias skewed the ratings — the investigators were not looking at political orientation back then. Even if they had been, it's unlikely that 3- and 4-year-olds would have had much idea about their political leanings.

A few decades later, Block followed up with more surveys, looking again at personality, and this time at politics, too. The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.

The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests. The girls were still outgoing, but the young men tended to turn a little introspective

[CSpec]

That makes sense. Most of the (very) conservatives I've encountered base most of their views on an uninformed and distrusting view of others or different views or cultures. The lack of confidence and pointless whining also explain the herd mentality of many.

[the_yellow_dart]

I was a fairly insecure kid. Mostly because everybody WAS out to get me... as one of the smartest in the class, I was always picked on. I turned out VERY liberal however... so much for this study.

[ChrisPauwels]

Because California most accurately represents a cross-section of the country(sarcasm). What a bunch of BS. The study is far to small and far to isolated.

Edited March 22, 2006 by ChrisPauwels

[Raybob9289]

The Toronto Star & Sickle LOL

All the conservitive Californians have moved to Red States.

California is All Liberals

[Drew Dowdell]

The problem is with today's definitions of conservative and liberal and the massive misunderstanding that the political spectrum is 1 dimensional when it is in fact two dimensional <possibly 3>.

[mustang84]

Not to mention that there are people on both sides of the fence that tend to be whiny and insecure. There is a guy in my studio that is extremely liberal, and he is one of the biggest whiners I have ever met. He's always complaining that he doesn't get how to do this, or doesn't understand why we have to do that...wah wah wah. Hell, I'm from the fairly conservative Midwest, and many of the people that are very conservative here are farmers who grew up doing farm labor as kids where complaining was not tolerated. This study is clearly flawed...they should have studied different regions of the country.

Personally, I don't think political leaning has any correlation to how much you complain. Your personality is determined by your parents and how you were raised.

Edited March 22, 2006 by mustang84

[tmp]

The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests.

As a confident, bright, non-conforming adult liberal with wide interests I can safely dub this "study" a load of

Edited March 22, 2006 by tmp

[Dsuupr]

Because California most accurately represents a cross-section of the country(sarcasm). What a bunch of BS. The study is far to small and far to isolated.

I couldn't agree with you more. I have a cousin with more confidence than anyone I know and he is also more conservative than anyone I know.

I myself have enough confidence to get into trouble and I'm a registered republican (though I wasn't dumb enough to vote for Bush).

[Enzora]

Reading that article, it looks like they're just using the words "liberal" and "conservative" interchangeably with "open-minded" and "closed minded". I can definitely see a whiny kid growing up to be closed-minded, but I'd like to see just what sorts of measures they used to define conservatism, because there's a big difference between say, taking a "Conservative Christian" stance on gender roles versus taking a minimalist view of economic policy.

[Jazzhead]

I recall a study issued a few weeks ago that concluded that conservatives are much happier than liberals. So, while the whiny kids grow up to be happy, the "confident" kids end up as the whiny, crankbucket adults!

[sciguy_0504]

That makes sense. Most of the (very) conservatives I've encountered base most of their views on an uninformed and distrusting view of others or different views or cultures. The lack of confidence and pointless whining also explain the herd mentality of many.

Oh, please grow up. You are complaining about the exact same thing you accuse conservatives of.

Berkeley? HA! I do not think you could pay me to believe a study out of that area of the country. Oops...I'm distrusting.

[Hudson]

Reading that article, it looks like they're just using the words "liberal" and "conservative" interchangeably with "open-minded" and "closed minded".

While that may be true in this case, how often do self-described Conservatives treat the term "liberal" as "wrong" or "radical" or "loose?" The door swings both ways.

[CSpec]

Berkeley?  HA!  I do not think you could pay me to believe a study out of that area of the country.  Oops...I'm distrusting.

Unless you agree with it, right?

[pow]

The Toronto Star & Sickle LOL

All the conservitive Californians have moved to Red States.

California is All Liberals

No...?

[pow]

Berkeley?  HA!  I do not think you could pay me to believe a study out of that area of the country.  Oops...I'm distrusting.

You've been watching too much of the O' Reilly Factor. I love the look whenever he says "CaliFORNIA" or "Los ANGELes" or "San FranCISCO."

[Enzora]

While that may be true in this case, how often do self-described Conservatives treat the term "liberal" as "wrong" or "radical" or "loose?" The door swings both ways.

Oh, believe me, I know that one all too well. I've had so many experiences where people from my hometown look at me with genuine scorn when they find out I go to a "liberal" university. Both views can be annoying and equally misleading. I'm a believer that our language has a huge impact on our beliefs.

Edited March 23, 2006 by Enzora

[Sixty8panther]

Because California most accurately represents a cross-section of the country(sarcasm). What a bunch of BS. The study is far to small and far to isolated.

Not to mention this post goes agains the "no politics" rules of the site.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels compeled to make a political comentary in regards to the thread and some of the ideas discussed. I'm not a liberal or conservative. I feel sorry for any one person who fits perfectly into either mold. People are much more complex than that. I find it ironic that some of the same people who protest against the killing in Iraq are the same people that think 3rd trimester abortion is just another medical procedure.

Edited March 23, 2006 by Sixty8panther

[Hudson]

I find it ironic that some of the same people who protest against the killing in Iraq are the same people that think 3rd trimester abortion is just another medical procedure.

I'm not advocating "3rd trimester abortions," but there are people on this earth that make me think that 83rd or 123rd or 163rd trimester abortions should be legalized.

[Enzora]

I find it ironic that some of the same people who protest against the killing in Iraq are the same people that think 3rd trimester abortion is just another medical procedure.

Have you honestly ever heard a person say that they advocated third trimester abortions that weren't for cases when the woman's health was in jeopardy? I don't mean what a third party has said they believe, but what the person has actually said about their own beliefs. If so, please PM me with some names, because I want to make sure I never vote for those people.

Edited March 23, 2006 by Enzora

[Croc]

Not to mention this post goes agains the "no politics" rules of the site.

Well, ironically enough, the rule was instituted after a certain very conservative member could not handle even the most mildly political threads and...whined.

I'm not advocating "3rd trimester abortions," but there are people on this earth that make me think that 83rd or 123rd or 163rd trimester abortions should be legalized.

Hmmmmm, any particular candidates? I've got a few too...