Why America's bitter politics are like a bad marriage, with Eli Finkel, PhD

Speaking of Psychology

Kim Mills

Health & Fitness, Life Sciences, Science, Mental Health

4.3 • 781 Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2020

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

These days, Republicans and Democrats don't just disagree with each other's political opinions -- many view members of the other party as immoral and even abhorrent. Eli Finkel, PhD, a social psychologist at Northwestern University in Chicago, led a group of social scientists who published a paper in the journal Science about the causes and consequences of this deepening rift. Finkel studies American politics, romantic relationships and the intersection of those two concepts. He joins us to discuss the rise of political sectarianism and why the current state of American politics is like a bad marriage. Links Eli Finkel, PhD Political sectarianism in America Music "Tension Orchestra Chords" by Frankum via Freesound.org Sponsor APA 2020 Virtual Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:26.6	The 2020 U.S. elections were some of the most divisive and vitriolic in modern history,
0:32.2	leaving many Americans exhausted and dispirited.
0:35.1	And if you're thinking our country seems more polarized than ever,
0:38.4	you're not alone. In a recent paper published in the journal Science, a group of psychologists,
0:43.7	political scientists, and other social scientists found that the level of contempt between Americans
0:48.9	who identify as Republicans and those who identify as Democrats has been increasing over the past 30 years.
0:56.1	These days, many Americans don't just disagree with their political opponents.
1:00.0	They see them as immoral and even abhorrent.
1:03.3	Some have termed the climate in our nation as a civil cold war.
1:08.0	What are the causes of this deepening rift?
1:10.1	Is there any way to reverse it? And is it dangerous to the future of our democracy?
1:15.0	These are some of the questions that we'll answer today on Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life. I'm Kim Mills.
1:31.2	If you enjoy speaking of psychology, the conversation does not have to stop when the podcast is over. Get unlimited access
1:36.2	to hundreds of videos about the latest in psychology for just one low price by registering for
1:41.5	access to APA's 2020 virtual convention. Start with some of our selected
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