The Bright Future of Post-Partisan Social Psychology Jonathan Haidt, University of Virginia Talk given at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology San Antonio, TX, Jan. 27, 2011: The Bright Future of Post-Partisan Social Psychology Jonathan Haidt, University of Virginia Talk given at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology San Antonio, TX, Jan. 27, 2011 You should be hearing the narration now….

I) The New Synthesis in Moral Psych (Haidt, 2007, Science) : I) The New Synthesis in Moral Psych (Haidt, 2007, Science ) 1) Intuitive primacy (but not dictatorship) 2) Moral thinking is for social doing 3) Morality is about more than harm and fairness 4) Morality binds and blinds

Why is there something, rather than nothing?: Why is there something, rather than nothing?

Why is there something, rather than nothing?: Why is there something, rather than nothing?

Slide 5: Many animals are social:

But only a few are ULTRASOCIAL:: But only a few are ULTRASOCIAL: Bees wasps and ants Also: termites and naked mole rats…

The only non-kin-based Ultrasocial:: The only non-kin-based Ultrasocial:

Our evolved trick: Ability to forge a team by circling around sacred objects & principles: Our evolved trick: Ability to forge a team by circling around sacred objects & principles

Our evolved trick: Ability to forge a team by circling around sacred objects & principles: Our evolved trick: Ability to forge a team by circling around sacred objects & principles

Our evolved trick: Ability to forge a team by circling around sacred objects & principles: Our evolved trick: Ability to forge a team by circling around sacred objects & principles

Our evolved trick: Ability to forge a team by circling around sacred objects & principles: Our evolved trick: Ability to forge a team by circling around sacred objects & principles

II) Sacredness: II) Sacredness Sacred Value: “any value that a moral community implicitly or explicitly treats as possessing infinite or transcendental significance …” (Tetlock et al., 2000) --precludes tradeoffs. --Threats turn us into “intuitive theologians”

Sacredness in action, case 1: Sacredness in action, case 1 No tradeoffs!

Moral Force Field: Moral Force Field

Heretics, Traitors, Apostates: Heretics, Traitors, Apostates

Sacredness in action, case 2: Liberal Policies (Affirm. Action, welfare, pro-choice…) Sacredness in action, case 2 No tradeoffs! Moynihan report: “tangle of pathology” “Culture of poverty”

The “Reality-Based Community”: The “Reality-Based Community” A) Term used contemptuously by Karl Rove for liberals who "believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality." B) Term embraced proudly by liberals, who believe they have science on their side, while conservatives are blinded by religion and ignorance

The Tribal-Moral Community: The Tribal-Moral Community --If a group holds anything sacred, then they are not part of the reality-based community. They are part of a TMC. --Science is on their side until the moment that it threatens a sacred value --Force field turns on, beliefs fall into line

III) Is Social Psych a TMC?: III) Is Social Psych a TMC? We have taboos and danger zones: a) race differences b) sex differences d) blaming the victim e) stereotype accuracy f) nativism

III) Is Social Psych a TMC?: III) Is Social Psych a TMC? 2) A Statistically impossible lack of diversity

III) Is Social Psych a TMC?: III) Is Social Psych a TMC? 2) A statistically impossible lack of diversity A) Google search…

III) Is Social Psych a TMC?: III) Is Social Psych a TMC? 2) A statistically impossible lack of diversity B) My convenience sample survey: “Can you reply to this message with the names of any social psychologists that you believe are politically conservative?”

Results:: Results: 2 votes: Peter Suedfeld 3 votes: Clark (Rick) McCauley 4 votes: “I can’t think of any” 15 votes: Phil Tetlock

A false sighting: A false sighting "I hold a rather complex (value-pluralistic) bundle of preferences and labeling me liberal or conservative or libertarian or even moderate is just not very informative." Phil Tetlock

Got him! : Got him! Clark (Rick) McCauley, Bryn Mawr

III) Is Social Psych a TMC?: III) Is Social Psych a TMC? 2) A statistically impossible lack of diversity C) This audience: --Liberal/left: --Centrist/moderate: --Libertarian: --Conservative/right: Approx. 20 Around 800 (80-90% of approx. 1000 people in the auditorium) 3 12 Self-declared conservatives were 0.3% of the audience. Ratio of liberals to conservatives: 266 to 1

III) Is Social Psych a TMC?: III) Is Social Psych a TMC? 3) Closeted conservatives

A coming out narrative, 1985: A coming out narrative, 1985 Until about a year ago, I was very quiet about my sexual orientation... I often didn't understand the sexual jokes made by my colleagues… the people making the jokes thought that we all felt the same way, and I certainly wasn't going to reveal that I disagreed. That would have been much too awkward. JB was really the first person I talked to about my sexual identity. He made me feel more comfortable and seemed to want to hear other perspectives…. Since then, taking PT’s class opened up a dialog and others have shared more as well. Before I thought that I was completely alone and was afraid to say much because of it. Now I feel both somewhat obligated to speak up (don't want others to feel as alone as I did) and also know that I have more support than I originally realized.

A coming out narrative, 2011: A coming out narrative, 2011 Until about a year ago, I was very quiet about my political opinions… I often didn't understand the political jokes made by my colleagues… the people making the jokes thought that we all felt the same way, and I certainly wasn't going to reveal that I disagreed. That would have been much too awkward. JB was really the first person I talked to about my political beliefs. He made me feel more comfortable and seemed to want to hear other perspectives…. Since then, taking PT’s class opened up a dialog and others have shared more as well. Before I thought that I was completely alone and was afraid to say much because of it. Now I feel both somewhat obligated to speak up (don't want others to feel as alone as I did) and also know that I have more support than I originally realized.

A coming out narrative, 2011: A coming out narrative, 2011 Until about a year ago, I was very quiet about my political opinions … I often didn't understand the political jokes made by my colleagues… the people making the jokes thought that we all felt the same way, and I certainly wasn't going to reveal that I disagreed. That would have been much too awkward. JB was really the first person I talked to about my political beliefs . He made me feel more comfortable and seemed to want to hear other perspectives…. Since then, taking PT’s class opened up a dialog and others have shared more as well. Before I thought that I was completely alone and was afraid to say much because of it. Now I feel both somewhat obligated to speak up (don't want others to feel as alone as I did) and also know that I have more support than I originally realized.

A coming out narrative, 1985: A coming out narrative, 1985 Until about a year ago, I was very quiet about my sexual orientation ... I often didn't understand the sexual jokes made by my colleagues… the people making the jokes thought that we all felt the same way, and I certainly wasn't going to reveal that I disagreed. That would have been much too awkward. JB was really the first person I talked to about my sexual identity. He made me feel more comfortable and seemed to want to hear other perspectives…. Since then, taking PT’s class opened up a dialog and others have shared more as well. Before I thought that I was completely alone and was afraid to say much because of it. Now I feel both somewhat obligated to speak up (don't want others to feel as alone as I did) and also know that I have more support than I originally realized.

A coming out narrative, 2011: A coming out narrative, 2011 Until about a year ago, I was very quiet about my political opinions … I often didn't understand the political jokes made by my colleagues… the people making the jokes thought that we all felt the same way, and I certainly wasn't going to reveal that I disagreed. That would have been much too awkward. JB was really the first person I talked to about my political beliefs . He made me feel more comfortable and seemed to want to hear other perspectives…. Since then, taking PT’s class opened up a dialog and others have shared more as well. Before I thought that I was completely alone and was afraid to say much because of it. Now I feel both somewhat obligated to speak up (don't want others to feel as alone as I did) and also know that I have more support than I originally realized.

Do we seek diverse perspectives?: Do we seek diverse perspectives? I consider myself very middle of the road politically: A social liberal but fiscal conservative. Nonetheless, I avoid the topic of politics around work… Given what I've read of the literature, I am certain any research I conducted in political psychology would provide contrary findings and, therefore, go unpublished. Although I think I could make a substantial contribution to the knowledge base, and would be excited to do so, I will not. (Quote from a graduate student in social psych)

Our self-Image:: Our self-Image:

Our Reality: We are a TMC: Our Reality: We are a TMC 1) Taboos constrain our thinking 2) We have almost no moral/political diversity 3) We have created a hostile climate for non-liberal students

IV) Our Bright Post-Partisan Future: IV) Our Bright Post-Partisan Future A) More credibility in Washington and with the public B) Many new topics, low-hanging fruit C) Better science, freer thinking

Example of an ideological rut: Evolution MUST be slow: Example of an ideological rut: Evolution MUST be slow "There's been no biological change in humans in 40,000 or 50,000 years. Everything we call culture and civilization we've built with the same body and brain .” (Gould, 2000)

But evolution is fast!: But evolution is fast! Belyaev’s Foxes: A new species in 30 generations!

And it sped up in the Holocene!: And it sped up in the Holocene! (2007) PNAS Note: I blanked out the dip on the right edge of the graph because that is a method artifact; the dating method does not work for selection in the last few thousand years

What you can do to turn off the magnet: What you can do to turn off the magnet 1) Be careful about “locker room” talk and hostile climate 2) Expose yourself to other perspectives visit www.CivilPolitics.org read Sowell, A Conflict of Visions subscribe to National Review 3) Advocate for moral diversity, in admissions and hiring…

Slide 45: 1) Change “i.e.” to “e.g.” 2) Tack on: “or who bring helpful and underrepresented perspectives in other ways” 3) Set a goal for SPSP: 10% conservative by 2020.