| Although researchers have shown that most people's political views can be characterized in terms of stable dimensions reflecting a general liberal or conservative orientation, my thesis is that most Americans actually hold a dynamic combination of values and beliefs---some congruent with political conservatism and some congruent with political liberalism. To investigate this dynamic aspect of political thinking, two studies were conducted that manipulated the relative salience of schemas about personal merit vs. help and good fortune as explanations for success in life. In Study 1, students at Stanford University were asked to explain their academic success focusing either on the role of hard work, self-discipline and wise decision-making (Personal Merit condition) or that of chance, opportunity, and help from others (Good Fortune condition). In Study 2, personal merit vs. good fortune was primed through prior exposure to relevant questionnaire items. In both studies, participants in the Good Fortune condition subsequently indicated more support for liberal policies than did those in the Personal Merit condition. Studies 3a and 3b help to rule out a "self-perception" or direct-inference account of the observed effect. Study results and their implications are discussed and future research directions are proposed. |
