Why It’s Hard to Be Open-Minded: And three suggestions if you want to change.

Most people claim to be open-minded or at least aspire to be, but it’s not so easy. How open are we really to core views other than our own? A few examples: liberal vs conservative, religious vs atheist, or if you’re in psychology, psychodynamic versus cognitive-behavioral therapy.

And some people don’t want to be more open-minded, perhaps because they enjoy the certitude of their "rectitude," or because they feel they've sufficiently considered an issue and don’t want to spend more time on it.

But if you might want to become more open-minded, My Psychology Today article today may help.

Today's Ethical Dilemmas: Five decisions in the time of COVID and of political polarization

My Psychology Today article today offers five dilemmas that derive from key issues of our time: COVID and political polarization. For each dilemma, I offer opposing positions.

Truly Considering Diverse Views: A now undervalued value

Nearly everyone considers themselves open-minded if not downright celebratory of diverse ideas.

Alas, from where I sit, the truth isn’t as sanguine. Indeed, I see people getting more closed-minded.

My PsychologyToday.com article today offers a self-assessment plus a practical suggestion.

The Case for Passionate Moderation

Except for people in our bubble, we often can’t talk politics without risking the relationship. 

Alas, if we can’t discuss divergent views, we must rely on the media’s view, which, alas, tends to be a view from just one bubble. Hence our exposure to ideas is truncated, and wisdom doesn’t reside only on one side of center.

And it’s important we talk politics. It dramatically affects our lives, from education to health care to national security, plus where and how redistributively our tax dollars are spent.

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I make the case for being passionate about moderation.