Tag: beliefs

How did we get here? Exploration of psychological concepts contributing to events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

On January 6, 2021, prior to the U.S. Congress confirmation of president-elect Biden, a large group of protestors stormed the capitol building. Images of the event were hauntingly reminiscent of violent elections and coups in third-world countries.

Considering increasing polarization of people’s attitudes along party lines over the last four years and recent events surround the 2020 election results, an exploration of factors which likely contributed to these events is justified.

This post will summarize the findings of a relevant article published in 2020 citing data gathered from the prior election cycle. Data on this subject for current election cycle is not yet available. Due to similar levels of contention between candidates for the 2016 election, an examination of data from this period is appropriate.

Shwalbe, Cohen, and Ross (2020) published a paper on “objectivity illusion” as it pertained to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Objectivity Illusion is an individual’s belief that their views are rooted in the objective (i.e., fact, reality), and an opposing individual’s views are rooted in subjective (i.e., falsehoods, opinion).

Prior to the 2016 election, these authors enlisted (n= 870) participants who either self-identified as Clinton Supporters, Trump Supporters, or No Political Affiliation.

These authors reported the extent to which individuals displayed objectivity illusion was predictive of how polarized their attitudes toward supporting their candidate became. Supporters of each candidate rated their opposition as being detached from reality and not having the best interest of America at heart. Each group was more likely to label the opposite groups as extremists or even terrorists.

Supporters of each candidate who immersed themselves in biased media coverage on their respective side had beliefs that were more extreme. This is to say that democrats who viewed/ listened to predominantly liberal media tended to become more polarized toward supporting Clinton while Republicans who viewed/ listened to predominantly conservative media tended to become more polarized toward supporting Trump.

Finally, these authors reported that the extent to which participants’ beliefs were polarized along party lines was predictive of their denial of an offer to read a pamphlet about the opposing party’s candidate.

Despite participants’ beliefs that a candidate and political affiliation stands for objectivity or what is rooted in reality, true objectivity, it seems, is lost.

Of a survey of attributes valued by each party, Trump supporters were more likely to identify with patriotism compared to Clinton supporters who were more likely to identify with compassion.

This post is intended to be non-partisan in nature. It serves instead as an attempt to use the findings of one evidence-based study to identify factors which may have contributed to the events surrounding and including the protests in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021.

Schwalbe, M.C., Cohen, G. L. and  Ross, L.D. (2020). The objectivity illusion and voter polarization in the 2016 presidential election. PNAS 117 (35) 21218-21229  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1912301117

Born Under a Bad Sign

“Born under a bad sign… I’ve been down since I began to crawl” -Albert King

I have worked with a handful of clients who have concluded that bad things happen to them because of destiny, being unlucky, God hating them, being cursed, paying for transgressions from a previous life, or just simply being bad. They were easily able to provide evidence to support their position including having suffered abuse as children, experiencing premature death of loved ones, and seeming to always be the one getting into trouble (both as a child and an adult). These people were entrenched in their position and seemed to embrace and integrate it into their sense of identity. Their primary relationships were with people who had similar perceptions of themselves.

My interpretation of what they are saying is that, due to some omnipotent force beyond their control, that their life is oriented toward pain, loss, defeat, sadness, failure and ultimately suffering (or at the very least, a lack of peace, happiness, and contentment). They feel rejected by life.

This is a profound belief for a person to have of themselves.

Often, these people have not been treated with the dignity and respect that they, along with all people, deserve and thus I explicitly incorporate it into my treatment plan for them. The effective use of empathy and a consistent application of unconditional positive regard is critical. I see myself as serving as a liaison between them and humanity through offering a corrective experience with someone who cares for them. I listen to their stories and apologize for past hurts they have endured. I identify and celebrate their strengths. I offer them comfort and support. We find commonalities in our lives. We laugh. A lot.

In stark contrast to these individuals’ appraisals of themselves, I find them to be incredibly inspirational. They have endured a great deal of heartache and pain and have somehow survived. Their strength and tenacity are enviable. I am honored to be a part of their recovery/ journey.

 JS