Need for Closure and Political Orientation Among German University Students

Abstract

EVER SINCE THE PUBLICATION of The Authoritarian Penalty by Adorno, Frenckel-Brunswik, Levinson, and Sanford (1950), there has been a debate over whether general political orientation is associated with differences in cognitive functioning. Although the original hypothesis of a positive and linear association between right-wing orientation and measures of cognitive function has received some support (e.g., Tetlock, 1983). other theorists have argued that individuals at both ends of the political spectrum exhibit greater levels of dogmatism than those in the political mainstream do (e.g., Taylor, 1960). Most recently, Sidanius (1 984. 1985) proposed another curvilinear model regarding the relationship between political orientation and cognitive functioning. According to this model, individuals at both ends of the political spectrum show greater sophistication in political thinking than those in the political mainstream because they face a dominant mainstream ideology.