Motives in Voting

An assumption of democratic theory is that the common will objectified in public opinion is a resultant of reasoned judgments based upon a reasonably adequate presentation of the measure's or individual's merits. Social science has not submitted this assumption to empirical test owing to its recency of development, its failure to settle upon definite categories; and because of difficulties inherent in the problem. Suggested technique: Social psychology can (a) collect,classify, and describe the material which constitutes the immediate stimuli; (b) describe the mental mechanisms of the individual involved in receiving and responding to summated group stimuli; and (c) examine and describe the response itself (collectively considered-public opinion) in terms of psychological motivation. Results secured: From a study of response-motivation of I,088 individuals in five mid-west states it was found that successful outcome was based not on appeals to sound judgments so much as to arousal of instinctive, emotional, and habitual sets, to such an extent as to lay open to question the possibility of adequate presentation of merit in national campaigns. The common will is seen to be a roughly predictable consummation of mass suggestion, following LeBon's principles and giving indications of artificiality and conscious direction

Artificiality · Cognitive psychology · Consummation · Epistemology · Instinct · Political science · Presentation (obstetrics) · Public opinion · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

• The field of social psychology

  Kimball Young•Psychological Bulletin•1927

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• Suggestion and suggestibility

  Charles Bird•Psychological Bulletin•1939

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• The measurement of social and political attitudes and the related personality factors

  George B Vetter•Journal of Abnormal & Social…•1930

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