According to an article in The Monitor on Psychology, there is a reason why our country is so polarized regarding politics. An article called “Why We Believe Alternative Facts”, helps make sense of this phenomenon. We use our own biases to confirm our belief system.
Motivated reasoning states that we choose the facts and twist them so they are in line with our belief system. If something supports our principles, then we tend to accept it. When it doesn’t fall in line with our beliefs, it takes more information and facts in order to believe it. The same thing occurs when it goes against our morals and values.
Regarding politics, people are more likely to share an article on social media if it fits their value system. When it doesn’t, they are more likely to check the facts. The way this plays into politics is people who vote one way think that people in the other party are not paying attention to the facts. When you strongly believe one thing to be true, and an opponent believes it to be false, there is no middle ground. You may question the intelligence of the other side.
Something else to consider is groupthink. If you are a liberal or a conservative, and your group believes one thing, even though you may not agree on the specific item, there are social consequences for thinking differently. Being ostracized from the group may be an outcome. Thus you may twist some information to make some facts irrelevant. Some people may also give their opinion and act as if it is factual.
The part of the article that stood out to me was that people who were educated were just as likely to be biased as those uneducated, and may do so more often. It’s easy to think that someone who doesn’t believe in your set of facts is an idiot. Can’t they see that they are ignoring the facts? It’s right in front of their eyes.
People who were scientifically educated were even more polarized in their viewpoints. Based on your political belief system, you may agree with the study or disagree with it. If the facts are in your favor you will believe it. If not, you’ll question the accuracy of the study. Motivated reasoning held true for those who were more literate.
Information is all over the Internet and we have this notion of ‘fake news.’ Basically anything we don’t like or agree with can be construed as fake. One way to get around this is to consider the source of information, and the possible motives or biases of these sources. You may also consider talking to a friend with an opposite point of view to better understand the facts.
I hope this information helps to make some sense of our current political climate and why we are so polarized as a nation.
Take care,
Debbie Grammas, PhD
