Emotions have been of increasing interest to scholars studying psychological processes linked with political ideology. Much of this work has focused on potential ideological differences in the intensity of emotional experiences, leading to conflicting findings. Some work has supported the perspective according to which fundamental psychological differences exist between ideological leftists and rightists, while other work has challenged this view, demonstrating ideological symmetry in emotion. This presentation highlights recent advances that can shed further light on the question at the heat of the debate, adopting a multi-dimensional, context-sensitive approach to the study of ideological differences in emotional processes. Instead of asking whether or not ideological differences in emotion exist, researchers should ask when, in what ways, and under what circumstances they exist.