Why is it so difficult to have productive conversations with people with different beliefs and ideologies? A psychological perspective

Abstract

Many people are experiencing today’s world as toxically divided and polarized around a number of social and political issues. This perception leaves many either hesitant to engage in discussions about these issues with people who hold different beliefs, or frustrated following unsuccessful attempts to engage in productive discussions. In this chapter, I propose that an understanding of the numerous, empirically-supported psychological tendencies that regularly influence human social perception can help explain these demotivating experiences of hesitancy and frustration, and how to overcome them to promote more productive discourse. I focus on two psychological phenomena: our tendency to overestimate how strongly people with different beliefs both dislike and devalue us; and a tendency to focus our attention and efforts on the specific opposing beliefs that people explicitly articulate, versus on the broader worldviews, ideologies, identities, and fears that made them receptive to those specific beliefs, and that make them resilient to contradictory evidence. Finally, I discuss, with empirical support, how acknowledging these tendencies illuminates specific techniques that can increase both people’s willingness to engage in these difficult discussions, and the likelihood that such discussions will be productive.