Date Thesis Awarded
5-2020
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Science (BS)
Department
Psychology
Advisor
Xiaowen Xu
Committee Members
Jennifer Stevens
Frederick Ernst
David Dominique
Abstract
Politics in the United States are increasingly more polarized. To date, there are known differences between conservatives and liberals in relation to societal goals and personality traits. However, little research has explored specific differences in the language used by conservatives and liberals when describing policy preferences, and less has been conducted on the language preferences of self-identified moderates. Additionally, people rely on Compensatory Control Theory to reestablish order, whether through an endorsement of the government or religious organization, when they feel out of control. This study aimed to expand the existing literature on the types of language used when explicitly discussing the rationale for making certain policy ratings. We found that there were significant differences in the language used by different political groups across the when describing policy ratings.
Recommended Citation
Flatt, Elizabeth, "Border Control: The Use of Language as it Relates to Compensatory Control Theory" (2020). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1521.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1521
