Reinforcing the Divisions of Conflict
Conflict theorists have long understood the negative consequences of extended, nonproductive conflict. Individuals can experience negative psychological and physical health issues from the continued stress. Productivity can decline as individuals become so involved in the conflict that there is less time and energy for positive activities. And some may become so disheartened by the continuing conflict that they disengage or simply leave.
Can societies have "too much" conflict? Nancy Gibbs raised some questions at the 2017 Theodore H. White Lecture at Harvard University. She cited statistics from the Pew Research Center that show significant partisan split across a wide range of topics including immigration, race, security and the environment. It follows that contemporary politicians encourage conflict as a strategy.
Contemporary social media support the conflict. Facebook's algorithms favor news that affirms our existing beliefs shielding us from diverse opinions. And Facebook has admitted that the recent Russian ads mainly focused on "divisive social and political messages." In other words, the ads contributed to our level of conflict.
Several years ago Robert Putnam argued in "Bowling Alone" that membership in civic organizations such as religious groups, labor unions, volunteer organizations and fraternal organizations was problematic for democracy as people were less likely to participate in social interaction. I contend that there is a high level of social interaction today, but like Facebook's algorithms, that social interaction is most likely to be with "like-minded" others. That reinforces the divisions of conflicts.
What do each of us need to do in order to manage these conflicts productively? I believe we need to listen to people with opposing ideas, not to argue or find weaknesses within them, but to learn why they believe what they do. Then all of us, elected leaders as well, need to recognize that we are interdependent and must work together to reach important goals.