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The Psychology Behind Left and Right: Personality, Morality, and Values in Political Orientation

Issa, José Benjamin LU (2025) PSYP01 20242
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Why do some individuals lean left while others align with the right? A substantial body of research points to psychological variables as key predictors of political orientation. Responding to recent calls for more integrative frameworks, this study examined how personality (including the Big Five and the Dark Factor of Personality), morals (Moral Foundations), and values (Basic Human Values) predict political orientation across both socio-cultural and economic domains. Drawing on data from 210 participants, and based on correlation, regression, and exploratory
mediation analyses, we identified two central thematic psychological predictor groups of political orientation, each reflecting a broad continuum of ideological orientation: (1)... (More)
Why do some individuals lean left while others align with the right? A substantial body of research points to psychological variables as key predictors of political orientation. Responding to recent calls for more integrative frameworks, this study examined how personality (including the Big Five and the Dark Factor of Personality), morals (Moral Foundations), and values (Basic Human Values) predict political orientation across both socio-cultural and economic domains. Drawing on data from 210 participants, and based on correlation, regression, and exploratory
mediation analyses, we identified two central thematic psychological predictor groups of political orientation, each reflecting a broad continuum of ideological orientation: (1) prosociality versus antagonism - including Agreeableness, Care, Equality, Benevolence, Universalism, and the Dark Factor - with higher scores predicting more left-leaning attitudes, except for the Dark Factor, where lower scores predicted a more left-wing orientation; and (2) preservation/order-orientation versus progressivism/egalitarianism - characterized by endorsement of Authority, Purity, and Tradition, with partial contributions from the Dark Factor - where higher scores were associated with more right-wing values. These findings suggest that political orientation is shaped not by isolated traits, but by coherent constellations of interrelated dispositional and motivational tendencies that differentially influence economic and socio-cultural ideologies. (Less)
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author
Issa, José Benjamin LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20242
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
political orientation, big five personality traits, dark factor of personality, moral foundations, basic human values
language
English
id
9209375
date added to LUP
2025-08-07 09:05:43
date last changed
2025-08-07 09:05:43
@misc{9209375,
  abstract     = {{Why do some individuals lean left while others align with the right? A substantial body of research points to psychological variables as key predictors of political orientation. Responding to recent calls for more integrative frameworks, this study examined how personality (including the Big Five and the Dark Factor of Personality), morals (Moral Foundations), and values (Basic Human Values) predict political orientation across both socio-cultural and economic domains. Drawing on data from 210 participants, and based on correlation, regression, and exploratory 
mediation analyses, we identified two central thematic psychological predictor groups of political orientation, each reflecting a broad continuum of ideological orientation: (1) prosociality versus antagonism - including Agreeableness, Care, Equality, Benevolence, Universalism, and the Dark Factor - with higher scores predicting more left-leaning attitudes, except for the Dark Factor, where lower scores predicted a more left-wing orientation; and (2) preservation/order-orientation versus progressivism/egalitarianism - characterized by endorsement of Authority, Purity, and Tradition, with partial contributions from the Dark Factor - where higher scores were associated with more right-wing values. These findings suggest that political orientation is shaped not by isolated traits, but by coherent constellations of interrelated dispositional and motivational tendencies that differentially influence economic and socio-cultural ideologies.}},
  author       = {{Issa, José Benjamin}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Psychology Behind Left and Right: Personality, Morality, and Values in Political Orientation}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}