Abstract
The United States and other established democracies have in recent years experienced rising “negative partisanship” or “affective polarization.” This is a condition distinct from policy-based contestation, marked by intense dislike and distrust of political opponents. The study of related emotions entails an understanding not only of how they are generated, but also of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral regulation. These capacities are commonly analyzed at the individual level, taking into account environmental factors. To understand broader environmental influences and related psychosocial tendencies, we need to examine wider, longer-term social, cultural, and technological changes. As sociologists Émile Durkheim and Daniel Bell once observed, the march of industrial capitalism and mass production entailed general erosion of inhibitory self-regulation. At the neuropsychological level, the disinhibition they described can largely be attributed to the sensory and social overstimulation associated with material excess, social and technological acceleration, information and experiential overload, existential insecurity, and similar developments. The progressive relaxation of self-restraint has been further exacerbated with the spread of information technology and other socioeconomic and cultural shifts. It has facilitated the expression of intense negative emotions and aggressive impulses; undermined empathy; led to cognitive disinhibition and “ideological obsession” (or embrace of “extreme overvalued beliefs”); and enabled violent responses to perceived provocations. In a dangerous feedback loop, the unrestrained expression of negative emotions and antagonistic impulses can become a form of self-stimulation, undermining further self-regulation. These tendencies suggest that the aggravation of affective polarization is a largely structural problem that may defy any targeted interventions.
Presenters
Ivelin SardamovAssociate Professor of Political Science, Department of Politics and European Studies, American University in Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Negative Partisanship, Affective Polarization, Self-regulation, Disinhibition, Capitalism, Information Technology, Neuropsychology
