In The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, Jonathan Haidt writes this foundation evolved to help humans build and maintain groups. It impels us to reward team players and ” hurt, ostracize, or even kill those who betray us or our group.”
Betrayal is a powerful thing. Even among those who are not religious or spiritual, cheating on a spouse is usually considered reprehensible and grounds for divorce. Trust is important in relationships and relationships are what groups are built upon. Those who will not sacrifice some of their own well-being to support the group are betraying that trust. In psychology they’re called “free-riders”. They gain the benefits of group participation, but don’t contribute their time, work, or other resources to support the group. Those who are perceived as free-riders are betraying the group, and, especially from a conservative perspective, deserve to be reminded of their group responsibilities. If they continue betraying the group, and depending on the group, the hurt level can vary from a reminder to a public execution.
Another characteristic of this foundation is that once a person considers himself or herself as a member of a group, being a member of that group can become an important element of their identity. Keep in mind, everyone is a member of multiple groups, but not all of those groups are necessarily a part of the person’s identity. Common definitions of groups are based on
- family
- tribe
- race
- ethnicity
- gender
- sexual orientation
- religion
- class
- education
- age
- physical location (city/town, county, state, nation)
- favorite sports and teams
- political affiliation
In the last 20 years or so, political affiliation has become a major source of identity, within the U.S., at least, and for many has become their primary source of identity, superseding identification with other groups. It’s one of several reasons why partisanship is increasing in the U.S. and why it’s increasingly difficult to find common ground. For many people, finding common ground would be tantamount to betraying one’s group.
As others, particularly liberals, have become attuned to intersections of various groups, some people identify as a member of several groups, rather than a primary (often political) group, for example, a person who identifies as a Black, bisexual, female, progressive, Millennial.