Dr. Marcus Bennett's Political Psychology Course
This handout explores the psychological dynamics underlying the current tension between the progressive wing led by Senator Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Party establishment. By understanding these psychological factors, we can better analyze political behaviors and movement dynamics.
| Issue | Progressive Wing | Traditional Democrats |
|---|---|---|
| Economic philosophy | Anti-capitalist/democratic socialist orientation | Reform capitalism with regulations |
| Corporate relations | Reject corporate donations and influence | Accept corporate partnerships with oversight |
| Healthcare | Medicare for All without private insurance | Public option alongside private insurance |
| Climate policy | Green New Deal with rapid transition | Market-based solutions with gradual timeline |
| Foreign policy | Reduced military spending, less intervention | Strong international alliances and presence |
| Political strategy | Mass mobilization and protest | Institutional processes and compromise |
| View of system | Fundamentally broken and requiring reconstruction | Flawed but improvable through reform |
The progressive movement actively defines itself in opposition to the "establishment" while simultaneously claiming to work within Democratic Party structures. This reflects the tension between two core identity needs:
The progressive movement's creation of parallel infrastructure in states like Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan represents territorial marking - establishing competing power centers that challenge existing Democratic Party organs.
Sanders employs powerful moral framing that positions progressives as righteous fighters against "oligarchy" while casting Democratic establishment figures as defenders of a "rigged and corrupt economic and political system." This activates psychological tendencies toward:
The relationship between progressives and Democrats resembles family developmental dynamics:
Sanders maintains an intentionally ambiguous relationship with the Democratic Party - sometimes identifying with it, sometimes criticizing it as corrupt. This creates:
Progressive rhetoric creates specific cognitive frames that shape how supporters perceive political reality:
Optimal Distinctiveness
The psychological principle that groups and individuals seek to balance their need for inclusion and belonging with their need for uniqueness and differentiation.
Identity Confusion
A state where individuals are uncertain about their group membership and allegiances, often created by receiving mixed messages about who belongs in what group.
Psychological Splitting
The inability to integrate positive and negative qualities of people or institutions into a coherent whole, instead seeing them in binary terms as either all good or all bad.
Cognitive Framing
How information is presented to influence how people perceive, organize, and interpret it, often by highlighting certain aspects while excluding others.
Moral Tribalism
The tendency to view one's own political group as morally superior while seeing opposing groups as morally compromised or corrupt.
Strategic Ambiguity
The deliberate use of unclear or ambiguous messaging to maintain flexibility, appeal to diverse audiences, or avoid accountability.
Psychological Ownership
The feeling that something belongs to oneself, creating a sense of responsibility, control, and right to determine its use.
Territorial Behavior
Actions taken to establish, mark, or defend control over resources, spaces, or symbolic domains.
Attribution Error
The tendency to attribute others' behaviors to their personal characteristics rather than to situational factors, especially when explaining behaviors of those in opposing groups.
Existential Psychology
The study of how humans fulfill their needs for meaning, purpose, and significance, particularly through participation in causes larger than themselves.
Sanders explicitly criticizes "the fossilized section of the Democratic Party" while building parallel infrastructure outside traditional party channels. This creates fundamental identity confusion by blurring boundaries between being inside or outside the party.
AOC operates within Democratic Party structures while fundamentally challenging its foundations, creating a dynamic where she appears to be "starting her own party" while technically remaining within Democratic structures.
Hogg's efforts to "primary out solid blue Democrats" represents classic adolescent rebellion against parental authority, challenging established power structures while still seeking legitimacy through those same structures.
Martin and other establishment Democrats exhibit psychological ownership over party identity and infrastructure, responding to progressive challenges with attempts to maintain control while accommodating some changes to preserve party cohesion.