Why Your Political Views Aren't Fully Your Own: Personality, Conditioning & Filter Bubbles

What if your political identity has less to do with facts and more to do with personality and conditioning? In this episode of Stories and Stanza's Fail With Me series, host Abhra sits down with psychologist Jennifer Cox to unpack the psychology behind political identity — without labeling any side as right or wrong.Using the Big Five (OCEAN) personality framework, they explore research linking higher openness to left-leaning tendencies and higher conscientiousness to right-leaning tendencies, along with how extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism shape political engagement, emotional reactivity, and our vulnerability to filter bubbles.Abhra also shares a personal story of perfectionism, anger, illness, and loss that became a turning point toward curiosity, mindfulness, and creative freedom — connecting emotional intelligence and openness in a very human way. The conversation moves into belonging, unpacking the real origins (and modern misuse) of "Maslow's hierarchy of needs," and how political movements weaponize in-group/out-group fear. The episode closes with a preview of future topics: immigration, intergenerational trauma, and gender fluidity.If you're interested in political psychology, emotional intelligence, personality theory, or how conditioning shapes belief systems, this episode is for you.Jennifer earned her minor in creative writing from Alfred University in 2016. As a pansexual genderflux individual and a trauma-informed mental health counsellor, they’re passionate about representation in fiction. Each story she tells is an opportunity to explore the beauty in nonconformity, healing, and diversity. After a lifetime of putting imagination to paper, Jennifer’s debut novel, Getting to Know You, came into being as a promise kept to a friend. Jennifer lives in the Finger Lakes with her family, enjoying tabletop roleplaying games, sewing, and cuddling their cat.Find her books here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4BKKR3Nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXVRTG15Timestamps 00:00 Failure Sparks Change 01:15 Podcast Intro 01:39 Meet Jennifer Cox 04:11 Episode Focus: Political Identity 06:51 EQ Measurement Challenges 11:29 Big Five (OCEAN) Overview 14:11 Host's Turning Point Story 20:37 From Rigidity to Politics 22:42 Openness and Left-Leaning Tendencies 24:12 Conscientiousness and Right-Leaning Tendencies 26:07 Extraversion, Agreeableness & Neuroticism 31:44 Filter Bubbles and Disengagement 34:16 Conditioning Limits Curiosity 38:58 Belonging and Maslow Reframed 45:52 Politics Weaponizes Belonging 49:58 Immigration and Generational Views 53:20 Intergenerational Trauma and Identity 58:05 Wrap-Up and Where to FollowListen and Subscribe YouTube: https://yt.openinapp.co/ii389 Spotify: https://spotify.openinapp.co/storiesandstanza Apple Podcasts: https://apple.openinapp.link/u3ui2 Substack (full write-up): storiesandstanza.substack.com#PoliticalPsychology #EmotionalIntelligence #BigFive #PersonalityTraits #FilterBubbles #MentalHealthPodcast #FailWithMe #StoriesAndStanzaWish to read about the episodes in advance or need a recap? Find us on 👉 SubStack.📌 Follow us: YouTube | Facebook | X | Instagram☕ Buy me a coffee🛠️ Tools we love: vidIQ · Descript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.