The Closed Partisan Mind
eBook - ePub

The Closed Partisan Mind

A New Psychology of American Polarization

  1. 162 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Closed Partisan Mind

A New Psychology of American Polarization

About this book

The Closed Partisan Mind traces the roots of partisan polarization to psychological closed-mindedness in the electorate and the changing perception of politics created by polarized political leaders and the new media environment. American politics today can be defined by the intense and increasingly toxic divide between Democrats and Republicans. Matthew D. Luttig explores why so many Americans have endorsed this level of political conflict.

Luttig illustrates how the psychological need for closure leads people, regardless of whether they identify as Democrat or Republican, to express more polarized political attitudes. This association between closed minds and partisan polarization is a new phenomenon and can be traced to broader changes in American society, such as the creation of ideologically distinct political parties and a fragmented media environment. These developments have simplified politics into a black-or-white, us-versus-them conflict—making politics appeal to those with closed minds.

Today, strong partisans do not just cheer for their political party to win elections. Instead, more akin to religious true believers, strong partisans use their affiliation as a means of understanding right and wrong, friend and enemy, true and false. The Closed Partisan Mind reveals that these dynamics have manifested in both a new type of partisanship and a new type of partisan. The emergence of this new closed partisanship illustrates the dangers that polarization has wrought on society, politics, and the minds of Americans.

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Yes, you can access The Closed Partisan Mind by Matthew D. Luttig in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Political History & Theory. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Acknowledgments
  2. Introduction: The Rigidity of the Right and the Rigidity of the Extremes
  3. 1. The Closing of the Partisan Mind
  4. 2. The Need for Cognitive Closure and Partisan Group-Centrism
  5. 3. Clear Choices, Group-Centric Partisans
  6. 4. The Dynamics of Partisan Closure and the 2016 Presidential Campaign
  7. Conclusion: Opening the Closed Mind?
  8. Appendix A: Survey Questionnaires for Key Variables
  9. Appendix B: Tables
  10. Notes
  11. References
  12. Index