As the 2020 election cycle heats up, inevitably so will conversations among family, friends,

and acquaintances on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

The United States may be more politically polarized than ever, but our disagreements don't

have to devolve into shouting matches and ideological one-upmanship.

But how can you have a civil conversation about politics

with someone who disagrees with you? Is it even worth it to try? For people who want to try to

engage in meaningful dialogues with those who disagree with them, psychologists have some

practical advice to offer. Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological

Association that explores the connections between psychological science and everyday life. I'm Kim Mills.

Our guest today is Dr. Tanya Israel, a professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and

school psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

After years of leading workshops, teaching people how to talk about their political differences,

she has published a book, Beyond Your Bubble, How to Connect Across the Political Divide,

with advice on how to initiate these conversations, keep your cool, and ultimately better

understand each other. Welcome to speaking of psychology, Dr. Israel. Thank you so much, Kim. I'm

delighted to be here. Let's start with a definition. You aim to teach people how to have what you

call dialogue as opposed to discourse, diatribe, or debate. What are the differences among those terms and what is meaningful dialogue?

So I always try to frame what this book is trying to help people do.

And when I talk about dialogue, what I'm talking about is a conversation that takes place between two people who want to be in that dialogue.

So sometimes people get concerned that just because they can do it, that that's a mandate

for them to do it.

And, you know, I want people to know that they have choices.

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