Political Polarization Is A Psychology Problem

This discord worries me as a psychologist, not only for the stress it causes, but because it smacks of a social psychology phenomenon known as “group polarization.” In group polarization, people who have different views become reactionary and disagree with one another in a knee jerk response because they have identified so strongly with their “team” or in group. Thus, they begin to automatically reject any ideas associated with the “opponent,” or the out group. This can create a vicious circle in which the more we dislike a certain group, the more negatively we judge whatever they have to say ― and the more negatively we judge their statements, the more we dislike them, and the more we dislike them, the more negatively we judge their statements. Round and round we go.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/political-polarization-is-a-psychology-problem_us_5a01dd9ee4b07eb5118255e5