A hypothesis about Tea Party character: similar to 4-7 yo child stage of development (Piaget)

[BREMPRO]

In doing some casual research about my cousin's child's self-centered simple minded behavior I discovers an eerie similarity to tea party/proto-republicans:

from Piaget's stages of intellectual development:

Pre-operational period
(4-7 years)

"Speech becomes more social, less egocentric. The child has an intuitive grasp of logical concepts in some areas. However, there is still a tendency to focus attention on one aspect of an object while ignoring others. Concepts formed are crude and irreversible. Easy to believe in magical increase, decrease, disappearance. Reality not firm. Perceptions dominate judgment.

In moral-ethical realm, the child is not able to show principles underlying best behavior. Rules of a game not develop, only uses simple do's and don'ts imposed by authority."


Some thoughts on this comparison:
To argue with them is like arguing with a child. they are less egocentric than a 3 year old, but not by much. They are unable to process conflicting point of view; unable to form complex nuanced ideas based on reality, but only simple do's/don't good/bad models from authority figures. for example: they hear from their leaders " all government is bad" (ignoring the obvious benefits they receive and that private industry/banks caused much of the great recession in part by a culture of less government intervention/regulation (circumventing the rules of the game for personal gain but societal loss).

The facts that government support is a necessity in a recession to stimulate economic growth conflict with their simple minded understanding. A person in this stage of development will stick with the simple black and white "all government is bad" concept despite objective evidence that it is necessary and provides much needed services and regulate/stimulate economic activity. If they don't experience those services directly and immediately (think child immediate gratification), they can't process the concept that if "others" are helped THEY are helped, or understand the concept of future benefit that will result from carefully constructed and administered policy. This is beyond their general cognitive ability and reinforces this 4-7 year old self-centered hypothesis.

I predict Glenn Beck will cry today and believe he is the new MLK despite ALL rational and objective evidence to the contrary.

[nightrain]

1. not just applicable to Tea Partiers, could be anyone... even Dems, even DUers or others

Witness the term being bandied about on DU--calling some Dems "Obama Haters". Think that's not black/white thinking?

[BREMPRO]

7. agreed- i've seen it here too.

[The_Commonist]

2. Everyone's growth gets stunted or stops at some particular age...

...for me, it was about 16 years old. But I was having fun at that age, so it doesn't usually bother me. But yeah, these people tend to act like 6 year-olds...

[Blaq Dem]

5. Yep, when drugs are involved

He's high on something.

[d_r]

3. look at Kholberg's stages of moral development also

[BREMPRO]

8. thanks for the tip- very interesting theories

TP's appear to be stuck between pre-conventional and conventional stages.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development

[MattBaggins]

4. "Rules of a game not develop, only uses simple do's and don'ts imposed by authority."

Religion perhaps? Just asking.

[BREMPRO]

6. yup, some organized religion supports this type of stunted thinking- n/t

[nightrain]

9. and some sites too.