Sep 1 2023
Episode 21: The Science of Polarization (Interview with Dr. Peter Coleman)
An interview with award-winning scholar, Dr. Peter Coleman, sharing his research at Columbia University's 'Difficult Conversations Lab', exploring the variables best contributing to bringing antagonistic groups closer together.In this 'power hour', discover the main principles which have emerged in thescientific literature for effective depolarization. This includes the benefits of complicating the narrative, the power of movement, pursuing a common goal, the limits of contact theory, appreciating the temporal dimension of change, positive deviance, shaping first impressions, articulating theories of change, maintaining a strong positive-to-negative comment ratio. Dr. Coleman also shares details about his 4 week, daily training program, 'The Challenge'.Key references:Cross-cutting structure (4:24)https://www.jstor.org/stable/3088437Movie: A Walk in the Woods (20:11)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Walk_in_the_Woods_(film)Habitat for Humanity (23:04)https://www.habitat.org/Movie: The First Step (24:15)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Step_(film)Allport's Contact Theory (27:02)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_hypothesisPositive Deviance (33:56) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_deviancehttps://www.amazon.com/Power-Positive-Deviance-Unlikely-Innovators/dp/1422110664Blum's Islands of Agreement (35:19)https://www.amazon.com/Islands-Agreement-Managing-Enduring-Rivalries/dp/067402446XDerek Kilmer (37:48)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_KilmerSensitivity to Initial Conditions (39:03)https://sites.psu.edu/academy/2016/04/25/sensitive-dependence-of-initial-conditions/Chasin's Public Conversation's Project (40:53)https://www.publicconversations.org/Popper's Clock vs Cloud Problem (44:31)http://www.the-rathouse.com/2011/Clouds-and-Clocks.htmlThe Negativity Bias (47:20)https://positivepsychology.com/3-steps-negativity-biasGottman's Love Lab (48:52)https://www.gottman.com/love-lab/Starts with Us - The Challenge (52:17)https://findingthewayout.startswith.us/--Chapters:0:00 Introduction8:40 Complicating the Narrative15:53 The Power of Movement 23:47 Pursuing A Common Goal26:04 Contact Theory33:03 Positive Deviance38:27 Shaping First Impressions42:37 Theories of Change46:31 Positive/Negative Ratio50:48 The “Challenge”53:50 Advice for Baha’i Communities56:05 Closing Thoughts