Ideological labels move people through affect, not cognitive content

Evidence

Our approach to unraveling the meaning associated with ideological labels begins with the assumption that such terms are powerful, political symbols to many members of the public. As symbols, the meaning which people attach to ideological labels, such as “liberal” and “conservative,” may be of two types: (a) cognitive—the “objective information or substantive content associated with the symbol,” and (b) evaluative—the affect elicited by the symbol (Cobb & Elder, 1973, p. 313). From this perspective, then, much of the previous research has focused on the cognitive content of ideological labels. But, if for many people ideological labels have sparse cognitive meaning, as research seems to suggest, then the symbolic power of such terms most likely stems from their evaluative content: their ability to generate strong positive or negative feelings. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1995

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the cognitive vs evaluative distinction for political symbols.
• XREF: connects to: Repeated slogans sever language from lived experience, linking advertising with totalitarian control. — Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment, 121