Shaping our political attitudes will be discussed Feb. 8 at Ripon College

“How Personality Shapes Our Political Attitudes” will be the focus of a talk presented Feb. 8 at Ripon College. The presentation will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Kresge Little Theatre, East Hall, and admission is free.

Being highly conscientious is typically thought of as a positive aspect of one’s personality. Individuals high in this trait are considered to be reliable, responsible, thorough and dependable. Research has shown that those high in this trait tend to get better grades, perform better at work, are in better health, and have better financial practices.

While most work on conscientiousness paints it in a positive light, conscientiousness may have a darker side when it comes to politics. How do highly conscientious individuals, who are successful in so many aspects of their lives, relate to public policy that is overtly aimed at those who have not attained such success?

In this talk, Aaron Dusso explores how our personality traits affect our understanding of government action, with a particular focus on who gets help and who does not.

Dusso is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, and a core faculty member of Indiana University’s Center for Civic Literacy. His primary research is on the intersection of political psychology and citizen knowledge and engagement.

His previous works have been published in the journals of Electoral Studies, Political Behavior, Political Research Quarterly and Social Science Quarterly.

This event is sponsored by the Center for Politics and the People, the Department of Psychology, Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, and Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology.