Strong Presidential Candidates

How do people view strong presidential candidates? What does a person of power look like? What makes up this perception of a strong presidential candidate? These are all questions that have changed over the years that media has effected both negatively and positively. The primary way media has effected these perceptions relates to the theories of cognitive consistency and cognitive dissonance. So, what is cognitive consistency and how does it pertain to people’s views of a political leader?
Cognitive consistency makes up how we define a good presidential candidate in America. Cognitive consistency theory is essentially the innate human tendency to seek out stimuli that are consistent with one's beliefs and attitudes and to censor or limit one's exposure to stimuli that are inconsistent with beliefs and attitudes (Cherry). So, in this context, people vote for a candidate that they believe fits their social beliefs. These beliefs are made up of what race, gender, ethnicity, social status, college, age, political party, and other characteristics.
Literature Review
Let’s begin by looking back into history and look at specific ways the perception of candidates has changed. In the early 1800s people viewed someone as a “good” presidential candidate if they were white, tall, old, had a long beard, came from a strong military background, and owned slaves (Benoit et al., 2003)
. Also, you had to have traditional values, such as religious and more conservative. In 1861 people elected Abraham Lincoln as president because he was tall, old, white and had a good background in the military, and owned slaves. Although he owned slaves, eventually in 1865, he signed the Emancipation Proclamation and freed the slaves. This is a prime example of c...

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Trent, J. S., Short-Thompson, C., Mongeau, P. A., Nusz, A. K., & Trent, J. D. (2001). Image, Media Bias, and Voter Characteristics: The Ideal Candidate From 1988-2000. American Behavioral Scientist, 44, 12, 2101-2124.
Trent, J., Short-Thompson, C., Mongeau, P., Metzler, M., Erickson, A., & Trent, J. (2010). Cracked and Shattered Ceilings: Gender, Race, Religion, Age, and the Ideal Candidate. American Behavioral Scientist, 54, 3, 163-183.
Trent, J. S., Short-Thompson, C., Mongeau, P. A., & Metzler, M. S. (2013). Diversity in 2008, Homogeneity in 2012: The Ideal Candidate Revisited. American Behavioral Scientist, 57, 11, 1539-1557.