The Liberal Mind
Posted by Rob Longenecker on February 28th, 2008
I do believe that there are reasons why we tend toward certain philosophical or political positions. Certainly, the opinions we grew up with in our family are important as well as whether our parents were Republican, Democrat or Independent.
I’ve also suspected that our politics are inline with our overarching world view of who we are in the world, how the world operates and what we can expect from life. Clearly, there are those who feel able to impact the direction of their lives and those who feel at the effect of their circumstances.
There are also those who are successful, but feel that others are more or less powerless.
It is tempting to apply psychological factors to our politics, especially when we begin feeling superior in our view and wonder how anyone else could see things as they do.
A persuasive argument for the psychological underpinnings of Liberalism is now in print.
Hey, I think it makes sense, but I’ll bet our liberal readers have another point of view.
Here’s a link to a review of “The Liberal Mind” and an excerpt below.
WASHINGTON – Just when liberals thought it was safe to start identifying
themselves as such, an acclaimed, veteran psychiatrist is making the case
that the ideology motivating them is actually a mental disorder.
“Based on strikingly irrational beliefs and emotions, modern liberals
relentlessly undermine the most important principles on which our freedoms
were founded,” says Dr. Lyle Rossiter, author of the new book, “The Liberal
Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness.” “Like spoiled, angry
children, they rebel against the normal responsibilities of adulthood and
demand that a parental government meet their needs from cradle to grave.”