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Guns as a Source of Order and Chaos: Compensatory Control and the Psychological (Dis)Utility of Guns for Liberals and Conservatives

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  • Steven Shepherd
  • Aaron C. Kay

Abstract

Firearms are one the most contentious consumer products in the United States, with opinions on guns being strongly divided along liberal versus conservative lines. The current research leverages compensatory control theory (CCT; Kay et al. 2008) to show how the same underlying need to see the world as orderly and nonrandom can help explain both sides of this divide, with liberals (conservatives) seeing guns as a source of disorder (order) in the world. Across three experiments we find that when imagining holding a gun (vs. not), liberals report less personal control and in turn more negative emotion compared to conservatives. We also find that in situations that are inherently chaotic and disorderly (i.e., shootings), liberals see the introduction of another firearm (i.e., an armed citizen) as introducing more disorder into the situation, whereas conservatives see armed citizens as providing more order to the situation.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Shepherd & Aaron C. Kay, 2018. "Guns as a Source of Order and Chaos: Compensatory Control and the Psychological (Dis)Utility of Guns for Liberals and Conservatives," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(1), pages 16-26.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jacres:doi:10.1086/695761
    DOI: 10.1086/695761
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    Cited by:

    1. Terrence D. Hill & Benjamin Dowd‐Arrow & Amy M. Burdette & Tara D. Warner, 2020. "Gun Ownership and Life Satisfaction in the United States," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(5), pages 2121-2136, September.
    2. Joshua T Beck & Ryan Rahinel & Alexander Bleier & Simona Botti & Darren W Dahl & J Jeffrey Inman, 2020. "Company Worth Keeping: Personal Control and Preferences for Brand Leaders [Measuring Brand Equity across Products and Markets]," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 46(5), pages 871-886.

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