Above and Below Left–Right: Ideological Narratives and Moral Foundations

Why do people vary in their views of human nature and their visions of the good society? Why do many people categorize themselves as “liberal, ” “conservative,” “libertarian, ” “socialist, ” and so on? Some researchers try to answer these questions by starting with people’s self-identifications and then moving “down,” examining traits (such as openness to experience) that underlie and predict endorsement of an ideological label (see Jost, Glaser, Kruglanski, & Sulloway, 2003, and Sibley & Duckitt, 2008, for reviews). In contrast, others find it more informative to move “up ” from such labels, examining the network of meanings, strivings, and personal narratives that unite the individuals who endorse a label (e.g., Conover & Feldman,