Tolerance for Ambiguity - Conservatives and the CIA

[TahitiNut]

It is well-established that the conservative personality has low (or non-existent) tolerance for ambiguity. The current regime is pathological in this regard. They obviously prefer outright falsehoods to "squishy" perspectives. The CIA, to their credit, provides "best guess" intelligence estimates while, simultaneously, conveying the degree of uncertainty inherent in their analyses.

The current Busholini Regime is singularly incapable of dealing with that uncertainty or taking courageous policy stances where risk exists. Risk is never shared. Risk is "outsourced" and "off-shored" like jobs. The pathological need for certainty, even if mythologically-based, characterizes their cartoonish 'faith' postures and their obsession with authority. While emotionally mature and sane individuals may employ faith in taking risks, the flip-side posture of extreme conservatism is to impose dogma in denial of responsibility for risks.

The elimination of any "weasel-words" from the NIE demonstrates their obsession with risk-aversion and phobia regarding ambiguity. They're just not competent by virtue of this psychological imbalance - they're cowards.

[TahitiNut]

1. "Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition"

"Analyzing political conservatism as motivated social cognition integrates theories of personality (authoritarianism, dogmatism—intolerance of ambiguity), epistemic and existential needs (for closure, regulatory focus, terror management), and ideological rationalization (social dominance, systemjustification). A meta-analysis (88 samples, 12 countries, 22,818 cases) confirms that several psychological variables predict political conservatism: death anxiety (weighted mean r = .50); system instability (.47); dogmatism—intolerance of ambiguity (.34); openness to experience (—.32); uncertainty tolerance (—.27); needs for order, structure, and closure (.26); integrative complexity (—.20); fear of threat and loss (.18); and self-esteem (—.09). The core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change and justification of inequality and is motivated by needs that vary situationally and dispositionally to manage uncertainty and threat."

http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/Jost/_private/Political_Conservatism_as_Motivated_Social_Cognition.pdf

[TahitiNut]

5. (crickets chirping) Hmmm... could it be this isn't clear?

Do we see the negative correlation (-0.09) between conservatism and self-esteem? (-0.32) between conservatism and openness to experience?

Do we see the positive correlation (0.34) between conservatism and dogmatism? (0.26) between conservatism and needs for order, structure, and closure?

Do we see Dick GFY Cheney? Do we see George WCWYT Bush? :shrug:


"The core ideology of conservatism stresses ... justification of inequality ..." (It's amazing how many folks can accept the notion that a CEO's labor is worth over 500 times the average worker's. Watch 'em go for 1,000. What the hell.)

[TahitiNut]

2. "Clinical Update on Cults" (Psychiatric Times)

Who Joins Cults?

No particular psychopathology profile is associated with cult involvement, in part because cults, like many effective sales organizations, adjust their pitch to the personality and needs of their prospects. Although cult members appear to have a somewhat higher rate of psychological distress than nonmembers, the majority seems to lie within the normal range. Nevertheless, clinical experience strongly suggests that certain situational or developmental features (singly or in combination) appear to make people more receptive to cult sales pitches, including:

• a high level of stress or dissatisfaction
• lack of self-confidence
• unassertiveness
• gullibility
• desire to belong to a group
• low tolerance for ambiguity
• naive idealism
• cultural disillusionment
• frustrated spiritual searching
• susceptibility to trance-like states

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p960714.html

[KoKo]

3. Tahiti, not only "ambiguity" but "hypocracy and nuance." And isn't this

the same CIA (given that there have been some "comings and goings") that didn't see Soviet Union Imploding and allowed Reagan to declare to Americans that HE alone was responsible for "Mr. Gorbachov Tear DOWN THAT WALL?"

The LIES we've been told by our CIA through the years are only visible NOW when we have the "Internet" (alternative media?)

What do you think?

[TahitiNut]

4. I'm no fan of the CIA. Like all 'power tools,' it's dangerous ...

... especially if used by the inept or malicious. It was during Reagan/Bush that the CIA was 'retasked' to focus increasingly on economic and business intelligence. The nonsense about their inability to infiltrate al-Qaeda or Iraq is easily refuted: "Johnny Taliban."

If the Regime and the CIA damage each other, that's a "win-win" for me.

[stevedeshazer]

6. Interesting - that's a quality I've noticed in others

My own brother is like that. Everything must be laid out in black-and-white. No shades of gray. Never lets facts get in the way of a line of bullshit.

And, yes, he is a Republican. Dammit.