Allow me to hijack your thread with an explanation!  I wrote this last night...

Liberals, or those on the political left of the spectrum, generally have a focus on society.  Their worldview is concerned with the health and wellbeing of people, on a collective scale.  This is because they have spent a
large part of their lives helplessly watching injustice, or perhaps being victimized themselves.  Thus, they form the opinion that the faults of human nature is to blame for the injustice, and the solution is to extend the
influence of society to counteract and compensate for the natural inclinations of human nature to take advantage of the weaknesses of others.  They focus on altering the environment so that the most people
possible have an equal chance to pursue happiness.  They want what benefits society.  There is a catch to this.
What is good for society is dictated by what is good for the majority of individuals.  This is a highly subjective exercise, because what is good for the individual varies from individual to individual.  To decide what is good for the majority requires that generalizations be made about the needs and wants of individuals.  Sometimes, tradeoffs will have to be made that may not necessarily be the most beneficial for a small number of individuals.  Since this is a highly subjective exercise, the ruler by which decisions are made is equally subjective - emotion.  Anger at an injustice, Fear of bodily harm or death to themselves or a loved one,
Grief/sadness at a traumatic crime or loss.  Note these are all negative emotions.  One does not watch victimization or experience it, and decide that society needs to be changed, as a result of positive emotions.
They approach life on an abstract, emotive level.

Deer Slayer, I wrote one about Conservatives too.  Please post that on your site, and as many as you prefer.  No copyright on knowledge!

Here it is:
Conservatives, or those on the political right of the spectrum, generally have a focus on the individual.  Their worldview is concerned with individual rights and freedoms of people.  This is because they have spent a large part of their lives in an environment where they are able to depend only on themselves, and, perhaps, their family and friends.  There is no real safety net to speak of, so they become highly aware of the resources that they are able to use towards ensuring their survival and ability to advance their position in life.  They focus on the processes and behaviors that help them survive, and learning to use the natural rules to their advantages. Conservatives value individual initiative, and believe that everybody has the resources inside to be a success.
They approach life on a concrete, rational level.

Woohoo, I am famous!  Now, won't the next liberals you debate be SOOOO surprised when you ask them for the experience and the emotions that caused them to believe that way?