The Science of Fear

...so I ran across the free article today from the WSJ about the psychology of fear and how its influence over people, particularly when it comes to voting...

Snippit...

A growing number of studies offer clues as to how terrorism and other deadly events affect people's voting decisions. The latest research shows that because such violent political acts are brutal reminders of death, they make conservatives, but not liberals, more hostile toward those perceived as different, and more supportive of extreme military policies, according to a study in April in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

For 20 years, researchers have been exploring how people manage the fear engendered by intimations of mortality. Reminded of the inevitability of their own death (which happens to a lesser degree by merely walking past a funeral parlor), people try to quench or at least manage the resulting "existential terror" in several ways. They become more certain of their worldview or faith. They conform more closely to the norms of their society. They show greater reverence for symbols of their society, such as flags and crucifixes.

All of these make people feel more secure and, crucially, a part of something larger -- something that will outlive them.

Building up your own worldview requires disparaging (even unconsciously) that of others. If beliefs that contradict yours have any worth, then by definition they call into question the absolute validity of your own. The result is stronger feelings of hostility toward those with different values and beliefs.

This "worldview defense," says psychology researcher Sheldon Solomon of Skidmore College, "reduces the terror that reminders of your own death bring." These results have been replicated in some 300 lab experiments, including in cultures with very different ideas about an afterlife.

Which brings us back to the effect on voters of a terrorist attack and its brutal reminders of mortality. Although some voters would feel betrayed by incumbents who failed to protect them, researchers say, these days that trend would more likely be swamped by a surge toward candidates perceived as hawks on national security.

Interesting no? Psychology, particularly behavioral theories and practices, can be seen in use all over in media, business, and politics. This kind of psychology and tactics are aimed directly at the part of humans that is quite animal because these are such ingrained and inherint hardwired parts of being animal. It actually requires higher consciousness to overcome these simple and ingrained triggers, however it takes conscious awareness of what is happening to do so. Otherwise, by definition, it is unconsciously working on us.

Surely we overcome such impulses daily, and also we follow them daily as well. But to sway large portions of the population what does it really take? appeal, push, trigger the baser instincts that are part of our hard-wired heritage. In other words, treat people like sheep.

The results...you can begin to measure the actual conscious awareness of the population. Aint that sad. Okay, maybe that is simplification. But that is in general how I see it.

The article is saying, apply fear of death and everyone sticks to their guns more, their point of view more. That is interesting. But I think it would take more research to explain why fear of death would drive liberally leaning folks to be more liberal? for me, the effectiveness of psychological manipulation rests within the realm of self-awareness and level of consciousness within the individual and society.