Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-hvd4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-03T17:26:42.879Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Personality and Civic Engagement: An Integrative Framework for the Study of Trait Effects on Political Behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2010

JEFFERY J. MONDAK ,
MATTHEW V. HIBBING ,
DAMARYS CANACHE ,
MITCHELL A. SELIGSON  and
MARY R. ANDERSON
JEFFERY J. MONDAK*
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
MATTHEW V. HIBBING*
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
DAMARYS CANACHE*
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
MITCHELL A. SELIGSON*
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University
MARY R. ANDERSON*
Affiliation:
University of Tampa
*
Jeffery J. Mondak is James M. Benson Chair in Public Issues and Civic Leadership, Department of Political Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 605 E. Springfield, Champaign, IL 61820 (jmondak@illinois.edu).
Matthew V. Hibbing is a graduate student in the Department of Political Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 605 E. Springfield, Champaign, IL 61820 (hibbing2@illinois.edu).
Damarys Canache is Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 605 E. Springfield, Champaign, IL 61820 (dcanache@illinois.edu).
Mitchell A. Seligson is Centennial Professor of Political Science and Professor of Sociology, Vanderbilt University, Box 1817 Station B, Nashville, TN 37325 (m.seligson@vanderbilt.edu).
Mary R. Anderson is Assistant Professor, Department of Government and World Affairs, University of Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606 (mranderson@ut.edu).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

People's enduring psychological tendencies are reflected in their traits. Contemporary research on personality establishes that traits are rooted largely in biology, and that the central aspects of personality can be captured in frameworks, or taxonomies, focused on five trait dimensions: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. In this article, we integrate a five-factor view of trait structure within a holistic model of the antecedents of political behavior, one that accounts not only for personality, but also for other factors, including biological and environmental influences. This approach permits attention to the complex processes that likely underlie trait effects, and especially to possible trait–situation interactions. Primary tests of our hypotheses draw on data from a 2006 U.S. survey, with supplemental tests introducing data from Uruguay and Venezuela. Empirical analyses not only provide evidence of the value of research on personality and politics, but also signal some of the hurdles that must be overcome for inquiry in this area to be most fruitful.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 104 , Issue 1 , February 2010 , pp. 85 - 110
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Alford, John R., Funk, Carolyn L., and Hibbing, John R.. 2005. “Are Political Orientations Genetically Transmitted?” American Political Science Review 99 (2): 153–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allik, Juri, and McCrae, Robert R.. 2004. “Toward a Geography of Personality Traits: Patterns of Profiles across Cultures.” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 35 (1): 13–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bagby, R. Michael, Levitan, Robert D., Kennedy, Sidney H., Levitt, Anthony J., and Joffe, Russell T.. 1999. “Selective Alteration of Personality in Response to Noradrenergic and Serotonergic Antidepressant Medication in Depressed Sample: Evidence of Non-specificity.” Psychiatry Research 86 (3): 211–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Booth, John A., and Seligson, Mitchell A.. 2009. The Legitimacy Puzzle in Latin America: Democracy and Political Support in Eight Nations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borkenau, Peter. 1992. “Implicit Personality Theory and the Five-Factor Model.” Journal of Personality 60 (2): 295–327.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bouchard, Thomas J., and Loehlin, John C.. 2001. “Genes, Evolution, and Personality.” Behavior Genetics 31 (3): 243–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
“Caracas, Venezuela: 2006 Crime and Safety Report.” Overseas Security Advisory Council. https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=49691, July 7 2006.Google Scholar
Caspi, Avshalom, Sugden, Karen, Moffitt, Terrie E., Taylor, Alan, Craig, Ian W., Harrington, Hona Lee, McClay, Joseph, Mill, Jonathan, Martin, Judy, Braithwaite, Antony, and Poulton, Richie. 2003. “Influence of Life Stress on Depression: Moderation by a Polymorphism in the 5-HTT Gene.” Science 301 (5631): 386–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cattell, Raymond B. 1956. “Validation and Interprettion of the 16 P. F. Questionnaire.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 12 (3): 205–14.3.0.CO;2-0>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Church, A. Timothy. 2000. “Culture and Personality: Toward an Integrated Cultural Trait Psychology.” Journal of Personality 68 (4): 651–703.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Church, A. Timothy. 2001. “Personality Measurement in Cross-Cultural Perspective.” Journal of Personality 69 (6): 979–1006.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Connolly, James J., Kavanagh, Erin J., and Viswesvaran, Chockalingam. 2007. “The Convergent Validity between Self and Observer Ratings of Personality: A Meta-Analytic Review.” International Journal of Selection and Assessment 15 (1): 110–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Costa, Paul T. Jr., and McCrae, Robert R.. 1988. “Personality in Adulthood: A Six-Year Longitudinal Study of Self-Reports and Spouse Ratings on the NEO Personality Inventory.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 54 (5): 853–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Costa, Paul T. Jr., and McCrae, Robert R.. 1992. Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.Google Scholar
Costa, Paul T. Jr., and McCrae, Robert R.. 2006. “Age Changes in Personality and Their Origins: Comment on Roberts, Walton and Viechtbauer (2006).” Psychological Bulletin 132 (1): 26–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Denny, Kevin, and Doyle, Orla. 2008. “Political Interest, Cognitive Ability and Personality: Determinants of Voter Turnout in Britain.” British Journal of Political Science 38: 291–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeYoung, Colin G. 2006. “Higher-Order Factors of the Big Five in a Multi-Informant Sample.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 91 (6): 1138–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Digman, John M. 1997. “Higher-Order Factors of the Big Five.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 73 (6): 1246–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eysenck, Hans J. 1947. Dimensions of Personality. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Eysenck, Hans J. 1990. “Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Individual Differences: The Three Major Dimensions of Personality.” Journal of Personality 58 (1): 245–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eysenck, Hans J. 1992. “Four Ways Five Factors are Not Basic.” Personality and Individual Differences 13: 667–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, James H., Baker, Laura A., and Dawes, Christopher T.. 2008. “Genetic Variation in Political Participation.” American Political Science Review 102 (2): 233–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, James H., and Dawes, Christopher T.. 2008. “Two Genes Predict Voter Turnout.” Journal of Politics 70 (3): 579–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, James H., Dawes, Christopher T., and Christakis, Nicholas A.. 2009. “Model of Genetic Variation in Human Social Networks.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106 (6): 1720–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Funder, David C. 2008. “Persons, Situations, and Person–Situation Interactions.” In Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, eds. John, Oliver P., Robins, Richard W., and Pervin, Lawrence A.. New York: Guilford Press, 568–80.Google Scholar
Gerber, Alan, Huber, Gregory A., Raso, Connor, and Ha, Shang. 2009. “Personality and Political Behavior.” Unpublished manuscript. Yale University.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, Lewis R. 1990. “An Alternative ‘Description of Personality’: The Big-Five Factor Structure.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 59 (6): 1216–29.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldberg, Lewis R. 1992. “The Development of Markers for the Big-Five Factor Structure.” Psychological Assessment 4 (1): 26–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, Lewis R. 1993. “The Structure of Phenotypic Personality Traits.” American Psychologist 48 (1): 26–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gosling, Samuel D., Rentfrow, Peter J., and Swann, William B. Jr., 2003. “A Very Brief Measure of the Big-Five Personality Domains.” Journal of Research in Personality 37 (6): 504–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
“Government Says Conflict on the Decline in Venezuela.” EFE News Service, 19 June 2007.Google Scholar
Hardy, John, and Singleton, Andrew. 2009. “Genomewide Association Studies and Human Disease.” New England Journal of Medicine 360 (17): 1759–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hatemi, Peter K., Alford, John R., Hibbing, John R., Medland, Sarah E., Keller, Matthew C., Martin, Nicholas G., and Eaves, Lindon J.. Forthcoming. “Not by Twins Alone: Using Extended Family Design to Investigate Genetic Influence on Political Beliefs.” American Journal of Political Science.Google Scholar
Hatemi, Peter K., Medland, Sarah E., and Eaves, Lindon J.. 2009. “Do Genes Contribute to the ‘Gender Gap’?” Journal of Politics 71 (1): 262–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heath, A. C., Neale, M. C., Kessler, R. C., Eaves, L. J., and Kendler, K. S.. 1992. “Evidence for Genetic Influences on Personality from Self-Reports and Informant Ratings.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 63 (91): 85–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heise, David R. 1970. “The Semantic Differential and Attitude Research.” In Attitude Measurement, ed. Summers, Gene F.. Chicago: Rand McNally, 235–53.Google Scholar
Huckfeldt, Robert, Johnson, Paul E., and Sprague, John. 2004. Political Disagreement: The Survival of Diverse Opinions within Communication Networks. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
John, Oliver P., Naumann, Laura P., and Soto, Christopher J.. 2008. “Paradigm Shift to the Integrative Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Conceptual Issues.” In Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, eds. John, Oliver P., Robins, Richard W., and Pervin, Lawrence A., New York: Guilford Press, 114–58.Google Scholar
John, O. P., and Srivastava, Sanjay. 1999. “The Big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Theoretical Perspectives.” In Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, eds. Pervin, Lawrence A., and John, Oliver P., 2nd ed.New York: Guilford Press, 102–38.Google Scholar
Kalish, Yuval, and Robins, Garry. 2006. “Psychological Predispositions and Network Structure: The Relationship between Individual Predispositions, Structural Holes and Network Closure.” Social Networks 28 (1): 56–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendler, Kenneth S., and Baker, Jessica H.. 2007. “Genetic Influences on Measures of the Environment: A Systematic Review.” Psychological Medicine 37 (5): 615–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kraft, Peter, and Hunter, David J.. 2009. “Genetic Risk Prediction—Are We There Yet?” New England Journal of Medicine 369 (17): 1701–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krueger, Robert F., and Johnson, Wendy. 2008. “Behavioral Genetics and Personality: A New Look at the Integration of Nature and Nurture.” In Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, eds. John, Oliver P., Robins, Richard W., and Pervin, Lawrence A., New York: Guilford Press, 287–310.Google Scholar
Lewis, Christopher J., Mitchell, Dona-Gene, and Rugeley, Cynthia R.. 2005. “Courting Public Opinion: Utilizing Jury Pools in Experimental Research.” Presented at the 2005 Political Methodology Summer Conference, Tallahassee.Google Scholar
Loehlin, John C. 1992. Genes and Environment in Personality Development. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
McClurg, Scott D. 2006. “The Electoral Relevance of Political Talk: Examining the Effect of Disagreement and Expertise in Social Networks on Political Participation.” American Journal of Political Science 50 (3): 737–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCrae, Robert R., and Costa, Paul T. Jr. 1987. “Validation of the Five-Factor Model of Personality across Instruments and Observers.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52 (1): 81–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCrae, Robert R., and Costa, Paul T. Jr. 1989. “Different Points of View: Self-Reports and Ratings in the Assessment of Personality.” In Recent Advances in Social Psychology: An International Perspective, eds. Forgas, Joseph P., and Innes, J. Michael, Amsterdam: Elsevier, 429–39.Google Scholar
McCrae, Robert R., and Costa, Paul T. Jr. 1997. “Personality Trait Structure as a Human Universal.” American Psychologist 52 (5): 509–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCrae, Robert R., and Costa, Paul T. Jr. 2003. Personality in Adulthood: A Five-Factor Theory Perspective, 2nd ed.New York: The Guilford Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCrae, Robert R., and Costa, Paul T. Jr., 2006. “Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Adult Personality Trait Development.” In Handbook of Personality Development, eds. Mroczek, Daniel K., and Little, Todd D., Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 129–45.Google Scholar
McCrae, Robert R., and Costa, Paul T. Jr., 2008. “The Five-Factor Theory of Personality.” In Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, eds. John, Oliver P., Robins, Richard W., and Pervin, Lawrence A., New York: Guilford Press, 159–81.Google Scholar
McCrae, Robert R., Jang, Kerry L., Livesley, W. John, Riemann, Rainer, and Angleitner, Alois. 2001. “Sources of Structure: Genetic, Environmental, and Artifactual Influences on the Covariation of Personality Traits.” Journal of Personality 69 (4): 511–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCrae, Robert R., Yik, Michelle S. M., Trapnell, Paul D., Bond, Michael H., and Paulhus, Delroy L.. 1998. “Interpreting Personality Profiles across Cultures: Bilingual, Acculturation, and Peer Rating Studies of Chinese Undergraduates.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74: 1041–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDermott, Rose, Tingley, Dustin, Cowden, Jonathan, Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Johnson, Dominic D. P.. 2009. “Monamine Oxidase A Gene (MAOA) Predicts Behavioral Aggression Following Provocation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 106 (7): 2118–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Medland, Sarah E., and Hatemi, Peter K.. 2009. “Political Science, Biometric Theory and Twin Studies: An Introduction.” Political Analysis 17 (2): 191–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mischel, Walter. 1968. Personality and Assessment. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Mischel, Walter. 1979. “On the Interface of Cognition and Personality: Beyond the Person–Situation Debate.” American Psychologist 34 (9): 740–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mischel, Walter, and Shoda, Yuichi. 1995. “A Cognitive-Affective System Theory of Personality: Reconceptualizing Situations, Dispositions, Dynamics, and Invariance in Personality Structure.” Psychological Review 102 (2): 246–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, Dona-Gene, and Mondak, Jeffery J.. 2009. “The Context for Defeat.” In Fault Lines: Why the Republicans Lost Congress, eds. Mondak, Jeffery J., and Mitchell, Dona-Gene, New York: Routledge, 1–21.Google Scholar
Mondak, Jeffery J., and Halperin, Karen D.. 2008. “A Framework for the Study of Personality and Political Behavior.” British Journal of Political Science 38: 335–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mutz, Diana C. 2006. Hearing the Other Side: Deliberative versus Participatory Democracy. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mutz, Diana C., and Mondak, Jeffery J.. 2006. “The Workplace as a Context for Cross-Cutting Political Discourse.” Journal of Politics 68 (1): 140–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osgood, Charles E., Tannenbaum, Percy H., and Suci, George J.. 1957. The Measurement of Meaning. Urbana, Il: University of Illinois Press.Google Scholar
Overseas Security Advisory Council. 2006. “Caracas, Venezuela: 2006 Crime and Safety Report.” July 7. https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=49691 (November 22, 2009).Google Scholar
Overseas Security Advisory Council. 2007. “Uruguay 2006 Crime and Safety Report.” June 14. https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=68012 (November 22, 2009).Google Scholar
Overseas Security Advisory Council. 2008. “Venezuela 2008 Crime and Safety Report.” February 21. https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=80085 (November 22, 2009).Google Scholar
Oxley, Douglas R., Smith, Keven B., Alford, John R., Hibbing, Matthew V., Miller, Jennifer L., Scalora, Mario, Hatemi, Peter K., and Hibbing, John R.. 2008. “Political Attitudes Vary with Physiological Traits.” Science 321 (5896): 1667–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rammstedt, Beatrice, and John, Oliver P.. 2007. “Measuring Personality in One Minute or Less: A 10-Item Short Version of the Big Five Inventory in English and German.” Journal of Research in Personality 41: 203–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riemann, Rainer, Angleitner, Alois, and Strelau, Jan. 1997. “Genetic and Environmental Influences on Personality: A Study of Twins Reared Together Using the Self- and Peer Report NEO-FFI Scales.” Journal of Personality 65 (3): 449–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, Brent W., Walton, Kate E., and Viechtbauer, Wolfgang. 2006. “Patterns of Mean-Level Change in Personality Traits across the Life Course: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies.” Psychological Bulletin 126 (1): 1–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rorden, Chris, and Karnath, Hans-Otto. 2004. “Using Human Brain Lesions to Infer Function: A Relic from a Past Era in the fMRI Age?” Nature Reviews 5 (10): 813–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saucier, Gerard, and Goldberg, Lewis R.. 2001. “Lexical Studies of Indigenous Personality Factors: Premises, Products, and Prospects.” Journal of Personality 69 (6): 847–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schmitt, David P., Allik, Juri, McCrae, Robert R., and Benet-Martinez, Veronica. 2007. “The Geographic Distribution of Big Five Personality Traits: Patterns and Profiles of Human Self-Description across 56 Nations.” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 38 (2): 173–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schoen, Harald, and Schumann, Siegfried. 2007. “Personality Traits, Partisan Attitudes, and Voting Behavior: Evidence from Germany.” Political Psychology 28 (4): 471–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Settle, Jamie E., Dawes, Christopher T., and Fowler, James H.. 2009. “The Heritability of Partisan Attachment.” Political Research Quarterly 62 (3): 601–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, Kevin B., Oxley, Douglas R., Hibbing, Matthew V., Alford, John R., and Hibbing, John R.. 2009. “Linking Genes and Political Attitudes: The Role of Bedrock Principles Concerning the Organization of Social Life.” Unpublished manuscript, University of Nebraska.Google Scholar
Suhay, Elizabeth, and Kalmoe, Nathan. 2009. “Violations of the Equal Environments Assumption in Twin Studies of Political Traits.” Unpublished manuscript, University of Michigan.Google Scholar
Tellegen, Auke, Lykken, David T., Bouchard, Thomas J., Wilcox, Kimerly J., Segal, Nancy L., and Rich, Stephen. 1988. “Personality Similarity in Twins Reared Apart and Together.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 54 (6): 1031–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turkheimer, Eric, and Waldron, Mary. 2000. “Nonshared Environment: A Theoretical, Methodological, and Quantitative Review.” Psychological Bulletin 126 (1): 78–108.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
“Uruguay 2007 Crime and Safety Report.” Overseas Security Advisory Council. https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=68012, June 12 2007.Google Scholar
Vecchione, Michele, and Caprara, Gian V.. 2009. “Personality Determinants of Political Participation: The Contribution of Traits and Self-Efficacy Beliefs.” Personality and Individual Differences 46 (5): 487–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
“Venezuela 2008 Crime and Safety Report.” Overseas Security Advisory Council. https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=80085, February 21 2008.Google Scholar
Watson, David. 1989. “Strangers’ Rating of the Five Robust Personality Factors: Evidence of a Surprising Convergence with Self-Reports.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57 (1): 120–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, David, Hubbard, Brock, and Wiese, David. 2000. “Self-Other Agreement in Personality and Affectivity: The Role of Acquaintanceship, Trait Visibility, and Assumed Similarity.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78 (3): 546–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Woods, Stephen A., and Hampson, Sarah E.. 2005. “Measuring the Big Five with Single Items Using a Bipolar Response Scale.” European Journal of Personality 19 (5): 373–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamagata, Shinji, Suzuki, Atsunobu, Ando, Juko, Kijima, Nobuhiko, Ostendorf, Fritz, Riemann, Ranier, Livesley, W. John, Jang, Kerry L., Spinath, Frank M., Angleitner, Alois, Kimio, Yoshimura, and Ono, Yutaka. 2006. “Is the Genetic Structure of Human Personality Universal?: A Cross-Cultural Twin Study from North America, Europe, and Asia.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 90 (6): 987–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.