CONSTRUCTING PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL-REALITY THROUGH MUSIC - INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES AMONG FANS OF PUNK AND HEAVY-METAL MUSIC

The study examined the relationship of popular music preferences to individual differences in social judgments and to personality characteristics. Individuals who expressed liking for heavy metal music were higher in machiavellianism and machismo and lower in need for cognition than nonfans. Heavy metal fans also made higher estimates than nonfans of consensus among young people for sexual, drug-related, occult, and antisocial behaviors and attitudes. Punk rock fans were less accepting of authority than those who disliked this music. Punk fans also estimated higher frequencies than nonfans of antiauthority behaviors such as owning weapons, committing a crime, shoplifting, and going to jail. The results are discussed using interactive and social-cognitive models for the acquisition of stable social attitudes and personality characteristics. © 1991, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.