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3 - Genetic Contributions to Political Phenomena

from Part I - Foundations of Political Psychology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2022

By
Rose McDermott
Edited by
Danny Osborne  and
Chris G. Sibley
Danny Osborne
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
Chris G. Sibley
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
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Summary

This chapter discusses some of the relevant findings in the study of genetics and politics, with an examination of how these forces interact and intersect. Particular attention is given to the importance of assortative mating in determining political ideology, a topic that has been typically neglected by political science. Full incorporation of evolutionary, biological, and genetic contributions to political attitudes, preferences, and behaviour should start to change the way we think about both politics and science. Environments are not infinitely malleable and susceptible to easy intervention, any more than biology or genetics are immutable, fixed, or unchanging.  Our genes operate in a social context and constantly interact with that environment in a recursive and iterative manner.  These mechanisms also influence how we get our genes through processes like mate selection, and affect how those genes operate in a complex social and political world.  This interaction has real-world political and social consequences, producing significant outcomes, including in-group protection, out-group discrimination, allocation of resources, and the regulation of human sexuality in all forms.

Keywords

GeneticsPoliticsAssortative matingAttitudesEnvironments
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Political Psychology , pp. 37 - 49
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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