The distinct perspective of each faction and group lead some conflict and tension over one topic; the Democratic party and Republican party are raising a discord on immigration policy. While the aspect of the conflict seems extremely hard to understand, the psychological concept provides a reliable approach in comprehending the divided political parties.
Several fields in psychology can explain some extreme tension between each political party; first to mention is that the Learning. The Associative Learning might be applied in the members of each political group. Associative Learning is a change in behavior by a connection of stimuli (Learning Lecture, 1/01/19). Especially, the Operant Conditioning which directly shapes one individual’s future from the result of the behavior. The result can be increasing money which will reinforce the behavior, or it can be a losing a vote or support which can be a punishment. The senate or congresspeople might have been changed behavior from the reinforcements and punishments in the political party.
Additionally, Social Psychology clarifies the rising tension in each group of members in a limited boundary. Group Polarization might be achieved in the group of people who have the same ideation or objective (Ch 13 Social Psych Guided Notes, p. 12). The offensive attitude might be reinforced by discussion or disclose within a group member while it “strengthen the group connectivity.” The leaders of each democratic and Republican party may be manipulated and exploited this psychological phenomenon to consolidate the bond with each member.
Some concepts in psychology might yield a resolution and mitigation over the conflicts in society. The Psychological aspect “Intelligence” can be highlighted as one solution for understanding the attitude of individuals’ behavior in the political party members. The Social Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence are highly related to the social skills since they are an “[a]bility to manage emotions and reason about mental states of other” (Intelligence, 20/10/19). With a comprehension of Social Intelligence, each political party might able to learn each other’s ideation with a “mental states of other” political party, leading an appreciation of each group’s ideation and ideology. Not only the political party but also all Americans can utilize this concept to accept each other’s ideas.
Finally, the approach suggested in the Psychological Disorder Lecture might be beneficial for reducing the tensions. According to Dr. Miller (personal communication, Nov 14, 2019) changing perspective over a situation is applied in therapy for people who suffer psychological disorder; this shifted view to positive way can be applied to make an agreement on important issues; especially, this strategy can be useful in persuasion of pessimistic opponents.
The general knowledge acquired from the Psychology 1100 altered my perspective over understanding different perceptions and aspects of various people in the world. Social Psychology enables me to critically analyze the different biases in varying cultures while the Lecture on “Personality” provided me with distinctive characteristics of people. Finally, the discussion had been conducted in the Activity Journal session provide me to share my opinion with others, leading a more holistic understanding of another person’s idea. Overall, the Psychology 1100 class opened a new mindset on comprehending other people’s attitudes, opinions, and beliefs in general, guiding me to respect other people ever than before.
References
Lisa, M. (2019, October 1). Learning Lecture Psychology 1100. Lecture presented at 2019 Ohio State University Autumn Semester, Columbus, United States of America.
Lisa, M. (2019, October 20). Intelligence Lecture Psychology 1100. Lecture presented at 2019 Ohio State University Autumn Semester, Columbus, United States of America.
Lisa, M. (2109, November 5). Ch 13 Social Psychology Guided Notes.
Lisa, M. (2019, November 14). Psychological Disorder Lecture Psychology 1100. Lecture presented at 2019 Ohio State University Autumn Semester, Columbus, United States of America.