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The Psychological Evolution of America: King's Dream and Today's Choices
How greater tolerance leads to elevation and cause for celebration.
Intolerance is the cause of racism, sexism and prejudice against others who are of different national origin, lifestyle, socio-economic status and family composition. When people feel threatened by those who are dissimilar or simply others who think differently, they become intolerant and prejudicial. When we feel threatened by diversity, we resort to child like thinking. Developmental psychologists, most notably Jean Piaget, explain that children younger than 7 or 8 think in a way that is pre-logical, pre-moral, and pre-causal. Adults, when feeling threatened by variance, regress in their thinking and illogically interpret difference as bad. They therefore become intolerant of those who are different.
When people talk about how they've changed while in therapy, greater tolerance is often cited among the benefits of treatment. Given America's current choices for nomination to the highest offices in the nation, it's evident that our nation has gone through a psychological evolution. Its as if we as a country have gone through a psychotherapeutic process and emotionally matured. Our tolerance and embracement of diversity has led us to become more virtuous as a group.
I grew up at a time in America when white males had a virtual monopoly on power and the doors to national political prominence were closed to women, Blacks, and Jews. I grew up in a town in N.J. where the schools were racially segregated. Until I was sixteen and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, discrimination based on race, gender and national origin was perfectly legal.
Perhaps because of the history I witnessed, I was elevated and moved throughout the Democratic convention last week, starting with Michelle Obama's courageous and moving speech. I'm sure that many Americans have been uplifted by what we witnessed. Hillary Clinton's talk was elevating because of her gracious support of Obama and her clear conviction to a purpose higher than herself. U.S. history was made the night of Barak Obama's acceptance of the Democratic Presidential nomination and the tears and cheers on the floor of the Democratic convention were unprecedented. The choice of Sarah Palin as Vice-Presidential Republican candidate is truly a leap in acceptance and tolerance by a group known for being conservative.
Jonathan Haidt a social psychologist at the University of Virginia, explains elevation as "The power of the positive moral emotions to uplift and transform people...” Haidt then quotes Thomas Jefferson to further explain this emotion. " Every thing is useful which contributes to fix us in the principles and practice of virtue. When any ... act of charity or of gratitude, for instance, is presented either to our sight or imagination, we are deeply impressed with its beauty and feel a strong desire in ourselves of doing charitable and grateful acts also." Haidt goes on to explain that "elevation is elicited by acts of virtue or moral beauty; it causes warm, open feelings ("dilation?") in the chest; and it motivates people to behave more virtuously themselves."
America's movement forward in our acceptance of, and respect for tolerance and difference has been awe inspiring and elevating to me. I believe many Americans, like me, feel greater optimism for the future of our country. The fact that August 28th was the 47th anniversary of the Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream Speech" made the generosity and virtue of our nation's choices all the more moving and historic. I thought back to when I watched King's speech on our black and white TV at age 13. King's words were and remain inspiring. Seeing such movement forward of his dream of greater equality come to fruition during Barak Obama's acceptance speech that night left me and countless other Americans with tears of elevation. Witnessing the triumph of a man who was not born into privilege and fought to overcome the obstacles he faced, reinforced our belief that as far as change in America is concerned,” Yes, We Can."
Article Via: Psychology Today
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