Big Sort: The Psychology of the Tribe

(Link to Part 2)

In The Big Sort, people have geographically sorted themselves into like-minded communities over the past fifty years. What are the social-psychological consequences of such a phenomenon?

Bishop presents something called the “Risky Shit” effect. People have an innate need to find safety in groups. He reviews studies like the one where subjects are asked to consider options when a competent chess player draws the top-ranked competitor for his chess match. He has a choice between a risky move that, if successful, will result in certain victory but, if unsuccessful, will result in certain defeat, or he could adopt a more conventional strategy. At what odds of success should the player take the risky option? (i. e., 10%?, 20%?, 30%? …)

Studies consistently point out that after discussing the issue, the group will choose a riskier approach than the average of the individuals privately reported answers before interacting. When the scenario is revisited from the standpoint of the chess champion, subjects privately take a conservative approach but, after group discussion, take a more traditional approach than the average of the individuals. Either way, subjects became more extreme in the direction of the average group opinion. You got group polarization.

Bishop writes:

Social psychologists have proposed several theories to explain group polarization. Two have survived scrutiny. The first holds that people in single-minded groups are privy to a large pool of ideas and arguments supporting the dominant position of the group. If there are good arguments in favor of the group’s inclination, everyone hears them, and hears them often. Moreover, as the group talks about these ideas and arguments, individuals feel more strongly about them. People are more committed to a position once they voice it. The second theory holds that people are constantly comparing their beliefs and actions to those of the group. When a person learns that others in the group share his or her general beliefs, he or she finds it socially advantageous to adopt a position slightly more extreme than the group average. It’s a safe way to stand out from the crowd. It brings notice and even approbation. (69)

Bishop doesn’t explicitly raise the issue, but I would add that single-minded groups create shared narratives complete with heroes, villains, and storylines about the underlying forces driving events. This narrative becomes the lens through which all information is received (or rejected) and interpreted. 

The consequences of homogenized regions are significant. For instance, with political parties, when one party becomes dominant in the community, those in the minority drop out of community involvement and may physically remove themselves from the community. The majority is decreasingly exposed to any contrary views. They become more committed and radical in their views. Often, a higher percentage of people vote in homogenous areas than in contested areas simply because it gives them feelings of solidarity with the group. Thomas Jefferson wrote 200 years ago that social isolation is the seedbed of extremism, and social science is proving him right.

Other studies Bishop writes about showed that when it comes to news reporting, people simply “… don’t believe what they see or hear if it runs counter to their existing beliefs.” (75) Even if both sides of an issue are presented, people only give credence to the information that matches their views. This inclination is called confirmation bias; people only look for information confirming their views. One researcher “… found that voters watch debates to reinforce what they already believe,” not to learn about issues. (75)

Thus, we end up with a baffled American public. So many of us live in our own echo chambers that when events don’t conform to our narrative and shared community experience, we conclude there must be some conspiracy or some minority radical element at work. “No one we know thinks like that, and we’re normal.”

My experience has been that sometimes people become aware that they live in an echo chamber and are no longer in congruence with the community. They leave that community to find another that accepts them and makes them comfortable. They declare they no longer live in a narrow-minded echo chamber like the one they escaped. In reality, they’ve just swapped echo chambers and the only reason they don’t realize they are in a new one is because everything around them now tells them their perspective is “normal.” In the Church world, I see this with mainliners who join evangelical mega-churches, evangelicals who become emergent, and a host of other switches. I see it with politics and other aspects of life as well.

[Continued] [Index]

Comments

[Clay Allard]

How do we move from the depressing diagnosis to a prescription? It would seem to me that the Church is one of the few institutions that, while definitely part of the problem, could actually become part of the solution. Is there anybody (else) working on that that you know?

[Michael W. Kruse]

Well there is more analysis to come that may sharpen our focus of how this has come about but I think you are right that the church is uniquely positioned to be a part of the solution.

One of my reasons for blogging this book as that I've floated this issue among various elected and staff people involved with the national church. A few have bitten on the idea but most seem quite skeptical. I attribute that in part to the fact that so many pockets of the national church are echo chambers. Acknowledging the accuracy of this thesis could lead some personal conviction.

I struggle with what to do about this in my personal life. I have an eclectic life with diverse folks. I go out of my way to make it so. But my congregation, while somewhat diverse in politics and religion, is quite monotone in most other ways.

Do you have any thoughts?

[Dennis Sanders]

The thing is, we see this happening in the church as well. Since I work for Presbyterians, I've noticed that liberals go to liberal churches and conservatives to conversative ones and it seems that both sides have created a echo chambers of their own. I wonder if there really is a way that we as the Church can be an example of a true community where we respect and honor differences.

[Michael W. Kruse]

I share your take on this Dennis. What that means is that the church has get its act together. Can it? Will it? I don't think the PCUSA is all that different in this regard than other mainline denominations.