Dispositioned to resist? The Big Five and resistance to dissonant political views. (June 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Valli, Chiara; Nai, Alessandro
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 207(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-06
• Subjects: Personality -- Big Five -- Political disagreement -- Resistance -- Conflict behavior; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2023.112152
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Abstract: This article investigates how dispositional traits influence the way individuals resist dissonant political information. More specifically, the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and four resistance strategies (avoidance, contesting, empowering, and negative affect) is explored. To do so, we present new evidence from an online survey where respondents from a Swiss sample ( N = 936) were exposed to tailored counterarguments on a political initiative and asked to report their cognitive, behavioral, and affective responses to the dissonant messages. Against our expectations, openness is unrelated to any type of resistance. Conscientious individuals are hesitant to actively resist counter-attitudinal political information, while extraverts defend their attitude by bolstering their preexisting views. Similar tendencies are visible for agreeable respondents, although these individuals primarily rely on avoiding dissonant political content. Individuals high on neuroticism exhibit a strong emotional response by reacting with negative affect to oppositional political information. Highlights: Openness is unrelated to any type of resistance against opposing political views. Conscientious individuals are hesitant to actively resist incongruent opinions. Extraverts defend their political attitudes by bolstering their preexisting views. Agreeable individuals avoid political information that challenge their beliefs. Neurotic individuals experience negative affect to oppositional political views.