Are we born with our views?

[Marx]

I came across an interesting article that suggests we may be born with the views that we have based on physiological traits. I'm not sure how I feel about this, so I thought I would pose it to all of you.

Political science researchers at Rice University in Texas studied 46 adults with strong political beliefs. They split them up in two groups, based on their leanings, and tested their physiological reactions to threatening and non-threatening images. How hard they blinked, their anxiety level, among other physical responses were charted as images of bloody faces and bunny rabbits came across the screen.

Perhaps not surprising, the groups’ reactions were divided. “The responses between the two groups were substantially different,” notes study author James Alford, a professor of political science at Rice. “There was very little overlap between them.”

The participants with traditional conservative views — supportive of the Iraq war, death penalty, immigration reform and The Patriot Act — had strong physical reactions to the threatening images of spiders and calm reactions to the non-threatening images of bunnies and happy children.

Those with more liberal views — low support of Iraq war and higher support of gay marriage, gun control and abortion rights — showed no differences in reaction when viewing the threatening and non-threatening images. They appeared to physically react to the same to an image of a bowl of fruit and one of an open war wound.

“We estimate your biological makeup has a 30 to 40 percent role in how you will vote,” says Alford. “The other portion is how and where you were raised as well as environmental factors”

So what do you think? Are we born with the views that we hold? Are we influenced by our surroundings? Or is it a combination of both?


*For the full article, click below.
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/18/political-attitudes-predicted-by-physiological-traits/

 

[Hobgoblin]

A little of both, I'd say. I know I naturally have different feeling about things than my parents, but I also know that my surroundings have influenced me. I dont mind paying taxes as long as they go to pay for things that they are supposed to pay for. That is something that is a quote from my father. So there is a little of both.

 

[rdh007]

I believe that about the reaction to the pictures. This "fight 'em over there so we don't fight 'em over here" is all a fear thing. I've often thought that the chickenhawks in this administration and the people who supported them were operating from fear.

As far as the question itself, I think it's more nurture than nature. I grew up calling Arab people "Sand N!****s" and not knowing something was wrong. That started to change in high school and changed fundamentally once I got to college and even more shortly afterward when Gore ran against Bush.

Oh, and in my family, Hillary is referred to as "the communist b!t(h". That should give you and idea of where I'm coming from.

 

[The Senator]

I certainly was not born with my views.

My father is a Republican who still supports the war in Iraq and believes the Federal Reserve and the Departments of Education, Homeland Security, and the Interior should be abolished. He dislikes taxes, believes Don't Ask Don't Tell is the best gay military policy, and --as far as I can tell-- believes global warming is a myth. Of course, he's voting for Obama this year, so perhaps I helped change his views.

My mother is an independent who only votes for people based on gender or physical appearance, which means the last time she voted nationally was in 1984 for Mondale/ Ferraro (she was an avid Hillary supporter but now that she's out of the running, she is considering voting for Cynthia McKinney [because she thinks Sarah Palin is a "stupid c-word"]).

My grandparents on my father's side are hardcore, Christian conservatives and my grandparents on my mother's side were politically apathetic.

So my views were shaped on my own, between the 2000 and 2004 elections.

 

[Matt]

No. Humans are blank slates. Our experiences and choices determine who we become.

 

[Excel]

I was a big republican supporter until 2003, heh.

No.

 

[Matt]

Excel, living proof that you don't have to believe in anything. You just take an interest in politics cause you like the guy's skin color and then adapt your beliefs accordingly

 

[Mr Sparkle]

Kerry was black? (there was an election in 2004 Matt, in case you forgot) maybe.....kerry was ...really tan?

 

[Mr Sparkle]

plus I thought implying racial bias in voting was a no-no based on Matt's own rules.
I wonder if he auto-infracted himself.

 

[Hobgoblin]

No. Humans are blank slates. Our experiences and choices determine who we become.

Personally I dont believe in tabula rasa. Psychology has shown that infants that are nervous and cry while being held by strangers are also wary of meeting new people as they grow older. Those that dont mind strangers often grow up to be outgoing as adults.

Thats not to say that experiences dont matter. Its just that personality and life preferences come both from biology and environment.

 

[zanos]

The only thing this experiment has concluded is that conservatives are a bunch of dummies that see the world in black and white.

 

[Fading]

No, I don't believe we're born with our views. Anymore some ppl believe our genetics tell us what we have to be, and it becomes a crutch. "You didn't mean to kill that guy, or smoke that cigarette, your genes made you." I just think it's a copout personally (Outside of ppl with genuine mental disabilities).

At any time someone can change their view, and decide they don't like something so they can flip to the other side of the issue. IMO the ppl that let their upbringing or physical appearance force them to be something they may not want to be, and refuse to grow because of it are weak willed. May sound harsh, but I think I just get irritated sometimes at the thought of someone saying they don't have a choice, that they have to be this or that.

As for myself, I grew up in a heavily democrat family. My Grandma hates republicans. I personally count myself as neither. If I HAD to choose I'd say democrat currently (based on choice), but personally I would vote for either side if they had a good candidate.

 

[The Guard]

No, we're not born with them. We're not neccessarily born with psychological traits that lead to physiological responses, either.

 

[bullets]

As far as the question itself, I think it's more nurture than nature. I grew up calling Arab people "Sand N!****s" and not knowing something was wrong. That started to change in high school and changed fundamentally once I got to college and even more shortly afterward when Gore ran against Bush.

that was my first words!

 

[Prison Mike]

I think it's a combination of nature and nurture.

 

[Visionary]

EDITED: Inappropriate comment.

 

[Doomed_hero]

I belive it is mostly how we are raised and what are situation in life is. I also belive many kids are brought on by parents and at some point the kids can decide to research and see if there views really are that of there parents, or get there own. i have a friend who was a hard core conservative who supported Bush on everything. Her father was big business and the same. But then she moved out on her own and had kids. She had to support herself and saw how hard the world is and how its not black and white. She has now rejected most of Bush policys and is a independents.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

I used to support Republicans, usually, and my father is Republican. My mother is liberal, but she isn't too bright when it comes to politics.

 

[Excel]

Excel, living proof that you don't have to believe in anything. You just take an interest in politics cause you like the guy's skin color and then adapt your beliefs accordingly

In April of 2003, I had no idea who Obama was. Hell, I didnt know much in general, I just agreed with a lot of it. Remember my DREAM candidate is always going to a white republican, too bad he cannot run

 

[C. W. Saturn]

No, we're not born with them. We're not neccessarily born with psychological traits that lead to physiological responses, either.

We are born with our psychological traits, it's just that humans can learn to block them. Genetics are much more important than upbringing. We are animals, afterall.

 

[The Guard]

We are born with our psychological traits, it's just that humans can learn to block them. Genetics are much more important than upbringing. We are animals, afterall.

Are you talking about basic psychological traits or specific ones?

 

[Kelly]

The only thing this experiment has concluded is that conservatives are a bunch of dummies that see the world in black and white.

And this post shows that "some" can be even dumber than conservatives....

 

[04nbod]

I came across an interesting article that suggests we may be born with the views that we have based on physiological traits. I'm not sure how I feel about this, so I thought I would pose it to all of you.




So what do you think? Are we born with the views that we hold? Are we influenced by our surroundings? Or is it a combination of both?


*For the full article, click below.
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/18/political-attitudes-predicted-by-physiological-traits/

that study isn't reflective of me. I don't like gore. I will try not to look but also don't support the iraq war, I support gun control and gay marriage but not abortion. Pigeon holeing with such rigid criteria gets nobody anywhere

 

[Kelly]

that study isn't reflective of me. I don't like gore. I will try not to look but also don't support the iraq war, I support gun control and gay marriage but not abortion. Pigeon holeing with such rigid criteria gets nobody anywhere

*slow clap*