Of Right, Left and Center: How Psychology Drives Our Politics

There are actually five sides, but on the Left, they've taken on the role of the conscience or superego — for example, trying to censor people's ... Welcome Students Academics Events News&Features All News FocusonFaculty StudentSpotlight AlumniAll-Stars CoolCourses Blog Faculty Dean'sOffice Giving SUBSCRIBE OfRight,LeftandCenter:HowPsychologyDrivesOurPolitics October22,2021 byHFAInterns ByKatiePoseyAmericanstendtooversimplifytheirpoliticaldifferencesduetothecountry’stwo-partysystem,saysUCSantaBarbarawritinglecturerandauthorRobertSamuels.TheDemocraticandRepublicanpartieshaveinternaldivisions,suchastheconflictingideologiesoflibertariansandmoralconservativesontheRightandthoseofradicalsandmoderatesontheLeft,saysSamuels,whohasadoctorateinbothPsychologyandEnglish.Inhisnewbook,ThePsychopathyofPoliticalIdeologies,Samuelspointsoutthetensionsthatexistoneachsideandtheunderlyingpsychopathologiesthatdrivethem. RobertSamuelsisanauthorandWritingProgramlectureratUCSantaBarbara. Samuelsidentifiesfourpoliticalideologies:Left,Right,liberalandconservative,andintroducesafifth:centrist.HeprobesthefundamentalbeliefsofeachpoliticalideologyfromapsychologicalstandpointtohighlighttheinternalnuancesofAmericanpoliticsthatareoftenmistakenlygroupedtogether.Samuelsexplorestheforcesthatguideideology,suchasreligion,science,andthenotionoffreedom,andheidentifiespsychologicaltendenciesthatshapedecisionmaking,suchasthetendencyofliberalcentriststoavoidconflict.Inarecentinterview,hestressedtheimportanceofapplyingapsychoanalyticlenstopoliticalideologiesandhowtheycontributetopoliticalconflict.Q:Whatarethemainfindingsorconclusionsthatyoupresentinyourbook?A:OnethingthatIlookedatalotiswhatmakessomeonejoinapoliticalpartyorhaveaparticularbeliefsystem.Ifocusedonhowcertainpoliticalideologiesfitwithdifferenttypesofpersonalitiesandpsychologies.Peoplesayourpoliticsarepolarized,butIthinkthatthisideaoftheseoppositionsaspolarizedismostlyduetothewaywetalkaboutit.Ifyoureallylookatthetwoparties,RepublicansandDemocrats,eachpartyismadeofitsowncombinationoftwoverydifferentideologies.Thereareatleastfourdifferentideologies,sotopolarizeitistooversimplifyit.We’reseeingthisrightnow.WehavethistensionbetweentheliberalsandtheLeft.Rightnow,withBiden’sinfrastructurepackageyouseehowtheDemocraticpartyisdividedinternallybetweentheLeftandtheliberalside,andtheLeftandliberalsactuallyhaveverydifferentbeliefsystemsandpsychologies.Ontheotherside,youhavethisinterestingcombinationoftwoveryopposingideologiesandpsychologiesliketheideologyofconservative—mostlyreligioustraditional — andthentheRight,whichismostlylibertarian,whichisreactingtotheLeft.SopartofwhatIshowisthatitisanoversimplificationtoseeitasjustpolarizationoropposition.It’smuchmorecomplicated.  Q:Inplainterms,howdopsychologicaltendenciesrelatetopoliticalaffiliations?A:Muchofpoliticsisirrational,andtounderstandthisirrationalityyoumustunderstandhowthehumanmindworks.Forinstance,foralotoftheRight,theirpsychologyhastodowithtryingtoescapesocialcontrol—forexampleprotestingagainstvaccinesandprotestingspeechcodesandmasking—asaformofwantingtobefree.Thereareactuallyfivesides,butontheLeft,they’vetakenontheroleoftheconscienceorsuperego—forexample,tryingtocensorpeople'sthoughtsandspeechandtryingtoinfluencepeoplethroughemotionalmanipulation.Youseethatnotjustinpoliticsbutininterpersonalrelationships,relationshipswherepeopletrytomanipulateotherpeoplethroughemotions. WritingProgramlecturerRoberSamuels’newbook,ThePsychopathologyofPoliticalIdeologies,addressespoliticalideologyfromapsychologicalstandpoint. OneofthethingsItriedtoexplainishowaconservativelikeMikePenceunifieswithalibertarianlikeDonaldTrumpbecausetheconservativestendtotrytoconservemoralorderandlibertariansareseekingfreedomfrommorality,ormoralorder.Youwouldn'tthinkthatthesetwoopposingphilosophieswouldfittogether,butonekeyaspectoftheconservativepsychologyandideologyisbeingsubmissivetoauthority.ThatallowsaconservativelikePencetosubmittoTrump.Q:So,isthefifthsideyoumentioned,centrism,somewhereinthemiddle?A:Thisiswhereitgetscomplicated.ItwouldbeveryeasywithjustLeftandRight,oneoppositionbeingconservative,andanotheroppositionbeingliberal.However,what'shappenedisthatwhatwecallliberalsnowaremoreofcentrists.There’soldschoolliberalism,basedmoreonscience,democracy,andcapitalism,andmodernliberalism,whichismorelikewhatwethinkofliberalsastoday,Biden,Clinton,andObama.It'smoreofapsychologyofcompromise.Obama'sfamousforsayingthere'snoredstatesorbluestates;there'sonlytheUnitedStates. Bidencameinthinkingthathecouldsomehowbringthetwopartiestogether,andwhatwe'reseeingnowisthathisapproachisnotnecessarilyworking.He'snotunifyinghisownpartyandhe'snotgettingtheothersidetoagreetoanything.Forthecurrentcentristliberals,theirpsychologicalissueismainlythattheywanttoavoidconflict,sotheytendtocompromise.Whatwe'reseeingwithBidenisthat hiscompromisesarebeingrejected.YouhavedistortionontheLeftanddistortionontheRight,andifyoucompromisetwowrongapproaches,youdon'tgetalogicalsolution.Twowrongsdon'tmakearight.What’shappeningoftenisthatliberalsaresoinvestedinavoidingconflictandbeingseenaswell-intentioned,thattheydon'tdealwiththerealconflictsthatexistbetweenthedifferentideologies.Q:Youwriteabout“triumviratesofideals”thataretiedtopoliticalpartyaffiliations,suchasconservativeidealsharkingbacktopremoderninstitutionssuchasreligion,feudalismandmonarchy,andliberalsfavoringuniversality,objectivity,andempiricism.Howdidyoucomeupwiththat?A:Ithinkalotofintellectualhistorylooksattheguidingforcesthroughouthistoryindifferentculturalmoments.Itisacommonideathatthetransitionfromthepremoderntothemodern[era]meantthatinsteadofbasingyourbeliefsonwhatistrueinfaithandreligion,youmovetowardsscience.Insteadofhavingafixedsocialorder,whichisfeudalism,youhaveeconomicmobility,whichiscapitalism.Anotherexample:insteadofhavingasingleauthoritymonarchy,youhavedemocracy.So,theseareallcommonideasaboutintellectualandhistoricaldevelopments,atleastintheWest.KatiePoseyisathirdyearUCSantaBarbarastudentmajoringinCommunication.SheisaWebandSocialMediaInternfortheDivisionofHumanitiesandFineArts.