The genetic structure of the Traditional Moral Values Triad

Abstract

Personality and social attitudes researchers have frequently noted high correlations, typically between .5 and .7, between measures of religiousness, conservatism, and right-wing authoritarianism. Koenig and Bouchard (2006) proposed that this pattern of correlations indicated the presence of a single latent factor of traditionalism. The three components of this factor, known as the Traditional Moral Values Triad (TMVT), were hypothesized to share a common genetic basis. The present study tested this hypothesis using data from the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart (MISTRA), a sample of twins who were raised in different homes. The best-fitting model identified the three TMVT measures as different manifestations of a single latent and significantly heritable factor. Further, the genetic basis for this factor was found to overlap heavily with that for the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Traditionalism factor, supporting our conception of traditionalism as the latent factor represented by the TMVT scales.