While political polarization appears to have become an integral part of public discourse, research indicates that intense political divisiveness is exacerbating citizens’ already high stress levels. This vicious cycle not only gives rise to political issues but also raises moral and mental health concerns.
On Wednesday, June 21, the first day of SNF Nostos Conference, SNF Dialogues, in a dynamic collaboration with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, are holding a live discussion at 16:00 on the Greek National Opera (GNO) Alternative Stage at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) titled Reconnecting in a Fractured Political Landscape.
Peter Ditto, Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine and Lilliana Mason, Associate Professor of Political Science at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, meet Anna-Kynthia Bousdoukou, iMEdD Managing Director, SNF Dialogues Executive Director and journalist, and talk about the impact of polarization on mental health.
As Lilliana Mason says, “the problem arises when partisan politics becomes so nationalized that people become attached to their identity to the point where they can’t even consider voting for another party. They only think about those big national questions that are difficult to address. (…) I believe that local politics is one of the avenues where we can find solutions.”
Polarization, which arises when political discourse “encourages strong partisan or ideological divisions (…) through an ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ distinction”, plays a pivotal role in political rhetoric as a recent research by iMEdD Lab, in collaboration with the Aristotle University’s Datalab and ChatGPT, suggests. It also influences citizens’ perception of politics, significantly impacting their moral outlook.
“In an ideal world, politics consists of two sides with differing views, but with the same intentions”, thinks Peter Ditto, Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California, Irvine. “However, today’s politics has devolved into seeing the opposition as morally wrong or even evil, instead of merely having different ideas. This moral clash is causing discomfort and mental health issues, as well as a breakdown of social ties”, he adds.
Hahrie Han, Director of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, will make an intervention in the discussion as well.
In order to watch the next SNF Dialogues event titled “Reconnecting in a Fractured Political Landscape” register online here.
The discussion will take place in English with simultaneous interpretation into Greek.
The SNF Dialogues are held through journalism nonprofit organization iMEdD (incubator for Media Education and Development).
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