What's Needed After the Midterm Election
The most famous study of how our perception of others influences our behavior is found in the Stanford Study where a group of students volunteered to be inmates in a prison and others volunteered to be guards in the prison. Those who became inmates became victims of their environment and those who became guards felt that they should be in the role of being authority figures becoming bullies in the process.
This experiment turned out to benefit the teaching profession when teachers of group A were told that their students did not have much academic abiliity but the group did possess high ability. Group B were told they were gifted in the matter of academics but really were people of average ability. The caveat was that the reverse was true in performance as Group A achieved academic success at a high level (after testing showed that they were of average ability) and students in group B did not live up to their academic potential (after testing showed that they were capable of high ability.)
This led the emergence of the self-fulfilling prophecy that we become how others think we are. I don’t really know how it happens psychologically when you see someone in a positive light that they take on the gift of happiness, but I use it all the time in counseling and as much as I can in my daily relations. All I know is that it works in helping others. I am a pragmatist.
Rich Merriman who was the subject of a recent blog had a talent for being a friend magnet. His view is based in the biblical understanding of seeing the best in others and found in the simple but powerful words, “I call you friend!”
This phenomenology of perception of others will play a life changing role in politics after the overwhelming blue wave. Hegseth has already produced a video where he will continue to act on President Trump’s agenda even though the national politics have said that the concern of Americans is the war in Iran. “He is a victim, “he says”. He wants to be in the guard position overseeing the next steps in that debacle. He sees himself as the victim by weak people. Those who are perceived by him as weak are clamoring for his removal from the guard position of wanting action taken to remove him from office. The tables have turned. Hegseth may never have heard that dictum “that we have met the enemy and they are us.”
I have posted below the summary of the New Stanford Study and John McCain’s Concession Speech.
How do we avoid this as a nightmare now that the Democrats are the guards and the Republicans in the role of prisoner? John McCain, our fearless leader, has the answer which is below:
If the Republicans and Democrats could get to this level of how we see one another, then this election will take on new meaning of greatness for our nation.
The Stanford Study is still regarded as the seminal research into how our view of people changes how they feel and act.
If I could find a way to send the above two videos to Congress to view first thing that they see when they are back on the job, that attitude would be what would really change politics and it is the people who would benefit by it.
“You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” (James 1:19)
“We need a national healing every bit as much as economic growth.” (Arthur Brooks, Love Your enemies)
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