Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Genetics and the development of social attitudes

  • Letter
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

WHATEVER the current norms might be with regard to public opinion about various issues, and whatever factors contribute to their change with time, attitudes are far from uniform. Eysenck1 has shown how responses to a public opinion questionnaire could be resolved into two main factors: ‘radicalism’ (R) against ‘conservatism’ and ‘toughmindedness’ (T) against ‘tendermindedness’. Individual differences in opinion are, to some degree, the social manifestation of individual differences in personality. Significant covariation has been detected between various measures of extraversion (E) and T. Wilson2 has suggested personality correlates of R. Such relationships, together with available evidence for the genetic determination of personality differences (see, for example, ref. 3), justify a more penetrating analysis of the extent to which variation in opinion and personality share a common genetic basis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Eysenck, H. J., The Psychology of Politics (Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, 1954).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Wilson, G. D., The Psychology of Conservatism (Academic, London, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Eysenck, H. J. in Human Behavior Genetics (edit. by Kaplan, A. R.), (C. C. Thomas, Springfield, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Eysenck, S. B. G., and Eysenck, H. J., Br. J. Crim., 11, 49 (1971).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Cederlöf, R., Friberg, L., Jonsonn, E., and Kaij, L., Acta Genet. (Basel), 11, 338 (1961).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Jinks, J. L., and Fulker, D. W., Psychol. Bull., 73, 311 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Eaves, L. J., and Gale, J. S., Behavior Genetics, 4, (in the press).

  8. Insel, P. M., Thesis Univ. London, (1971).

  9. Eysenck, H. J. in Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia (edit. by Kaplan, A. R.) (C. C. Thomas, Springfield, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Fuller, J. L., and Thomson, W. R., Behavior Genetics (John Wiley New York, 1960).

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT

    L. J. EAVES

  2. Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, London, SE5 8AF

    H. J. EYSENCK

Authors
  1. L. J. EAVES
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. J. EYSENCK
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

EAVES, L., EYSENCK, H. Genetics and the development of social attitudes. Nature 249, 288–289 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249288a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/249288a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation