How groups are formed, and how groups shape our political and social views
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On March 19 we will continue our exploration of the human need to belong to groups. We'll see what it takes to create a sense of belonging in a group and look at some of the features of life in a group that have implications for our political and social affiliations and divisions. We'll watch a short video on the Robbers Cave experiment in shaping group relationships and conflict, one of the classics in the history of psychology.
We'll look at the biological roots of "naive realism" - in which we think we are seeing the world as it is, while in fact we are seeing an interpretation created in our brains. And so is everyone else. These visions can be strongly influenced by our values, beliefs, and our closest associates - our tribe. So if the illusions we hold lead us to believe that we see the world as it actually is, but others see the world differently, then they must be the ones who are biased, uninformed, ignorant, unreasonable, or evil. And if the other side is thinking the same thing about us, because of their naive realism, then we've got problems.
In preparation for the meetup, it would be great if you could watch "The Illusion of Understanding," a TEDx Talk by cognitive scientist Phil Fernbach.
https://youtu.be/2SlbsnaSNNM?si=1kG6E8XKTzpZDjx
Professor Fernbach demonstrates that although most people feel they have a good understanding of the public policy issues about which they feel deeply, in fact their knowledge is very shallow - which is why most of us rely on trusted sources - our political tribe - to tell us how we should feel about these issues.
A second good TED talk for this meetup is Megan Phelps-Roper, "I grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church. Here's why I left."
Members of groups are usually very careful to respect and adhere to the key beliefs of their group, in part to avoid being alienated from the group. But through discussions with people who disagreed with her yet treated her with respect, Megan Phelps-Roper radically changed her views and then had to leave her own family.
I hope to see you Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 PM Eastern time, to help us explore these fascinating issues.
Bill