political psyches

[novapsyche]

Moral Foundations Theory

Moral Foundations Theory was created to understand why morality varies so much across cultures yet still shows so many similarities and recurrent themes. In brief, the theory proposes that five innate and universally available psychological systems are the foundations of "intuitive ethics." Each culture then constructs virtues, narratives, and institutions on top of these foundations, thereby creating the unique moralities we see around the world, and conflicting within nations too.

See also "Political Science: The Psychological Differences in the U.S.'s Red-Blue Divide", the Scientific American article that introduces the topic to the layperson.