As Americans tune in this week to the public impeachment hearings in Congress, polls are split closely between people who support the impeachment process (49 percent) and people who do not (46 percent).
In an in Politico, Peter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education and Director of TC鈥檚 Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR), considers whether the hearings will change any minds. Psychological research 鈥渟uggests no 鈥� well, maybe 鈥� and yes,鈥� Coleman writes.
Peter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education and Director of TC鈥檚 Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution () (Photo: TC Archives)
Coleman鈥檚 piece, , is posted on the Politico magazine鈥檚 website.
Polling research suggests that one-third of the voting public are locked into their respective 鈥減ro鈥� or 鈥渃on鈥� positions and not likely to change their minds. They are likely instead to selectively focus on information that confirms their firmly held opinions and to dismiss evidence that disproves them.
But even those with diametrically opposite opinions might be convinced to change their minds, Coleman writes. Although strongly held, self-defining beliefs do not change incrementally or slowly over time, they can change鈥攁nd when they do, it鈥檚 a dramatic shift from one extreme position to another.
鈥淥ver time, when we are exposed to information contradicting our attitudes, that information鈥攅ven if we ignore, discount or deny it鈥攃an seep into our thinking and accumulate to a point where... people radically change their views to the opposite side of the spectrum. In other words, nothing much changes until everything changes.鈥�