US Voters: The Psychological Benefits of Being an Independent or Unaffiliated Voter

In this episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson sits down with Dr. Emily Bashah to discuss the psychological benefits of being an independent or non-affiliated voter. The duo breaks down the benefits of being an independent voter, the rise of moral relativism in America, and how politicians benefit from being social chameleons.

• Paul and Emily start the conversation by describing the psychological benefits of being an independent or a non-affiliated voter.
• Paul shares his thoughts on the American political duopoly and its effect on the American system. He also discusses major reforms he would like to see.
• According to Gallup, 49% of Americans identify as independent or non-affiliated voters.
• The big question is why? Paul and Emily agree that people today want the freedom to think independently without necessarily being allied to a particular political group.
• Paul defines agency as having a firm understanding of who you are and understanding your role in creating the future you want.
• Emily talks about the temptation and seduction of modern tribalism and its damage to human psychology.
• All people are challenged between fitting into their social groups and conflicts with their moral values. In this conflict most people pick their social group, although possibly unwittingly. This gives extreme groups in both political parties the ability to change public opinion to the point of making all of us more divided.
• Paul believes there's good and evil inside everyone. However, parties and ideology allow us to frame groups as good and evil. Thus encouraging us to objectify others. Political parties encourage this behavior.
• Emily breaks down cognitive dissonance, how it works, and what you can do to free yourself from addictive ideologies.
• Paul and Emily share their thoughts on moral relativism in American society today.
• Leaders benefit from being social chameleons and turning into what they feel a group needs from them to maintain that power.
• If you are considering how to register to vote, you might consider being unaffiliated or independent. This will allow you to think more critically about issues, and see others as individuals as opposed to seeing them as part of a group. This improves your life by creating greater options for the things you want.
• It's healthier to be an independent voter because you have greater agency through avoiding the social pressures of either political group.
• According to Paul, most people know when something's not right, but they would rather justify their wrongness than risk losing their position in the group.
• Paul and Emily talk about the Amygdala hijack and how elected officials use fear to terrify their followers about the opposing group. It is easier to scare you if you are a member of a tribal party.
• Paul explains why he believes the partisan primary system is not working for America and how it's feeding this delusion that everything is falling apart.
• Emily goes through the benefits of being an independent/non-affiliated voter.

 

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

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Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

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Dr. Emily Bashah