Personality and Political Recruitment: Actualization or Compensation?
- 1 September 1980
- journal article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Psychology
- Vol. 106 (1) , 117-120
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1980.9915177
Abstract
Two hypotheses have been offered relating self-concept and political participation. The actualization hypothesis predicts that individuals with a positive self-concept will most often be found among the politically active, while the compensation hypothesis states that those with poor self-concepts participate at high rates to overcome their low estimates of self-esteem. These hypotheses are tested using data from a sample of party activists. Three measures of self-esteem are related to office-seeking. Office-seekers differed from nonoffice-seekers on only one of the self-esteem measures. The actualization hypothesis was partially supported.Keywords
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