Bridging Partisan Divides: Dialectical Engagement and Deep Sociality

In recent decades, we have witnessed increasing polarization, divisiveness and hostility in political discourse. This paper outlines a relational-dialectical approach to constructive political discourse. Instead of treating political discourse as competition over clashing positions, the relational a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of constructivist psychology 2022-07, Vol.35 (3), p.877-903
Main Author: Mascolo, Michael F.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:In recent decades, we have witnessed increasing polarization, divisiveness and hostility in political discourse. This paper outlines a relational-dialectical approach to constructive political discourse. Instead of treating political discourse as competition over clashing positions, the relational approach seeks ways to bridge political differences through dialectical engagement. The process is organized around three principles: (a) the focus on needs and problems rather than political positions, (b) deep sociality, and (c) the dialectical construction of novel forms of thinking through the integration of opposites. I illustrate these principles in the context of political discourse related to gun violence in the United States.
ISSN:1072-0537
1521-0650
DOI:10.1080/10720537.2020.1805065