chris hedges has done some work here, and there are any number of psychological and sociological studies defining conservative/traditional and/or libertarian group boundaries. what’s the matter with Kansas, and a lot of Paul Craig Roberts political thoughts come to mind.

while the perpetuation of conservative belief systems is primarily by childhood training and example, the final divide or crossover can occur later–and will be often based on simple personality preferences.

Most of the studies i’ve read, say the primary defining conservative traits are founded in in-group/out-group rancor and exclusion, xenophobia of many kinds, and externalization of personal challenges or blocks: it is always the fault of someone else, or some external group or institution. There is usually a disinclination for conservatives to consider how they may contribute or exacerbate or create the problem. And their analyses start from unstated assumptions about the nature of truth and reality, so their conclusions are always going to be self-justifying.

that does not mean they are always wrong, just that they don’t have an intellectual mechanism for looking at their own place in the larger scheme and the underlying dynamics.

and i think her wan and wistful hope for a new alliance, is, on the other hand, an absolutely self-identifying “liberal” personality trait and tenet of the liberal belief system.