Intolerance is a global issue, not confined to any one nation. It manifests in various forms and is directed at different targets, leading to divisions among family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Even before the recent assassination attempt on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, a longstanding personal concern of mine is the inability of my fellow Americans to engage in political discourse. This event, a stark manifestation of political intolerance, has only highlighted the urgency of addressing this issue. I have heard stories of family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues who become estranged due to political intolerance. Rational Emotive Behavior (REBT) Therapy, as a philosophy of life and emotional education, offers an approach to dismantling the roots of intolerance.
Humans are Prone to Dogmatic Attitudes
REBT argues that everyone has political goals and values, and people will differ in their goals, values, and priorities. REBT distinguishes between healthy desires to achieve political goals and values and an unhealthy dogmatic demand for them. The theory argues that it is our nature to jump from a healthy desire to achieve our goals to an unhealthy demand when we are thwarted in pursuing our goals. It is essential to note the theoretical position REBT takes: that humans are prone to dogma by nature. The theory postulates that some people may be more inclined to escalate their desire to realize their political goals and values into dogmatic demands. In other words, some people more easily think in dogmatic ways. Some people are more inclined to rigid and extreme thinking about what they want or do not want.
REBT is an optimistic theory. It posits that all individuals have the potential to reflect on their thinking and transform their demands into strong preferences through careful analysis. While some may find it more challenging to transition from a dogmatic mindset to a strongly preferential one, the theory maintains that it is possible for everyone. Even those most inclined to rigid and extreme thinking can, through analysis, learn to hold flexible and non-extreme attitudes toward their goals and values.
Cultivating and maintaining flexible and non-extreme attitudes is essential because everyone sooner or later will be frustrated in their efforts to fulfill their desires. Politics is no different. Other people and circumstances will often obstruct us. When our will is blocked, healthy negative feelings like disappointment and sadness will follow. These self-helping negative feelings will motivate us to attempt to change or circumvent obstacles through prosocial behavior. REBT sees it as moral and healthy for people to hold a philosophy of enlightened self-interest. Enlightened self-interest is where each of us puts our personal and political interests slightly ahead of the interests of others. This does not mean we disregard the interests of others, but rather that we prioritize our own interests in a way that benefits both ourselves and others. Keeping the interests of others a close second to our interests sets the stage for social interest and democratic compromise. REBT philosophy argues that it is self-helping for an individual to be interested in society because what happens in our social life will sooner or later impact our individual lives. A win-win position is more consistent with REBT’s philosophy of enlightened self-interest than a win-lose position. People who are taken advantage of will naturally come to undermine the individual who puts their interests far ahead of others. Acknowledging that this type of counteraction will happen in the long run is healthy for the individual living according to the enlightened self-interest philosophy of REBT.
Understanding the Basis of Political Intolerance
Political intolerance starts with having a preferred political position on different issues. However, this preference does not lead to an intolerant mindset and the antisocial behavior that can follow. Intolerance is rooted in the dogmatic insistence that others hold the same political views. From the REBT perspective, rigid and extreme thinking about politics and the unhealthy feelings of anger, anxiety, and depression that follow from it are at the core of political intolerance.
The challenge with applying REBT to intolerant political thinking is that most people with such thinking fail to recognize themselves as having an emotional problem and may not be aware that they hold intolerant views. They assume their political views are
Political Intolerant Attitudes and Their Healthy Alternatives
Dogmatic political attitude: Because I know what is right, you must agree with me on the political issues.
Tolerant political attitude: Although my political position is far better, you can disagree. You never have to hold the same political view as I do, and I will unconditionally accept you even if I strongly disagree with your political view. My tolerant attitude will enable me to listen to you and then, after careful reflection, respond to you in a meaningful discourse. If I never convince you to modify your political views, I can still have a relationship and live happily with you. We will agree to disagree, at least for now.
Extreme and condemning political attitude leading to intolerance: If you fail to hold my political views, you are less of a person or an evil person.
Non-extreme and unconditionally other-accepting political attitude leading to tolerance: Even though you fail to hold my political views, it does not make you less of a person or an evil person. Your political views are a part of you but do not define the whole of you. As an imperfect human in a state of flux, it is invalid to think that a part of you I disagree with stands for your essence as a human. I will not judge or condemn you, even if I consider your political view distasteful.
Extreme political attitude underpinning intolerance: Your political views are wrong. I cannot tolerate listening to your political opinions.
Non-extreme political attitude facilitating tolerance: Your political opinions are misguided. It is difficult to listen to them, but not unbearable. I can stand to listen to them. It is worth doing as if I will have any chance of persuading you; I need to understand your political views accurately. Even if I see no chance of persuading you to hold other political views, it is worth tolerating them to live in harmony with you despite our political differences.
Extreme political attitude underpinning intolerance: Because you think in illogical or biased ways, I cannot bear to listen to you put forth your political views.
A non-extreme political attitude facilitating tolerance: Even if you think in illogical or biased ways, which makes it difficult and uncomfortable for me to hear you express your political views, it is still not unbearable to hear you propose them. I can withstand listening to them, and it is worth doing if I plan on attempting to persuade you to hold what I consider to be logical and unbiased political views. Even if I have little chance of impacting your political opinion, keeping the attitude I can withstand and listening to them will help me live in harmony with you despite our differences.
Extreme political attitude underpinning intolerance: Our country is headed in the wrong direction. If Americans elected politicians with your political views, that would be awful, terrible, and the end of the world.
A non-extreme political attitude facilitating tolerance: Our country is currently headed in the wrong direction. If Americans elected politicians with your political views, that would be very bad but not awful, terrible, and the end of the world. Because I wish to have some happiness despite the changes that are occurring, which I dislike, it is prudent for me not to engage in extreme thinking about bad events.
Closing Remarks
Socrates famously said, “He who would change the world should first change himself.” If you are concerned about political intolerance, look for it within yourself. Be sure not to escalate your political preferences into dogmatic attitudes. Model attitudes of flexibility that will allow you to display political tolerance and engage in open-minded political discourse. Challenge specific political ideas, but avoid overgeneralizations and condemnation of your political opponents.
Rational-Emotive Behavior Philosophy and the therapy that comes from it are not against political activism. REBT is against political intolerance and dogmatic, antiscientific, overgeneralized, and extreme thinking. REBT encourages people to think for themselves and to tolerate others thinking for themselves, even when others think illogically. This stance does not mean we do not listen to those with differing opinions and perhaps try to persuade them to adopt different political views. Because humans are fallible, we will inevitably disagree. It is in our mutual best interest to hold flexible and non-extreme attitudes towards political discourse and tolerate such discourse rather than to shut down communication, overgeneralize and label our political opponents, and sadly, sometimes resort to violence to put forth a political agenda.