On Sounds Good, MSU Department of Psychology faculty member Dr. Michael Bordieri and Tracy Ross talk about moving past this contentious election season.
Bordieri says he doesn’t know what will heal the wounds inflicted by this election season but says psychology provides many ideas on how to move forward.
“Half the country was obviously exuberant and celebrating that their voice was finally heard in a country that they didn’t feel belonged to them. And I think another half of the country went to bed or woke up that morning feeling as if they had lost they country they’d known. And that’s a really tough place to start,” Bordieri said.
We learned from this election that we are deeply divided. Bordieri says one of the most important factors to moving past the division is conversing with those with whom we disagree.
“At the heart of those conversations and at the heart of those actions is a sense of vulnerability. We risk being misunderstood, we risk being offended, we risk being hurt when we open ourselves to experiences that are unlike the ones we know... But those sort of conversations could be valuable and important,” Bordieri said.
Another important factor of moving forward is to determine how we, as individuals, want to be in the world right now.
“In that sense, it opens up opportunities. That it’s not just, you know, ‘This is our destiny, this is either the worst or best thing that’s happened,’ this is a piece of what’s happened to us and we still have a voice here. Albeit a small voice but if we learn anything from elections those small voices do add up and they matter.”
