{"id":43133,"date":"2021-07-22T06:26:03","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T10:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=43133"},"modified":"2021-08-03T08:58:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T12:58:18","slug":"hive-mentality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hive-mentality\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hive Mentality in Politics: A Force for Good or Bad?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How does the hive mentality manifest in politics? Is it beneficial or detrimental?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hive mentality is one of group interest rather than self-interest. Just as bees work together for the benefit of the hive, we can do the same when we flip the hive switch<\/a> and move from self-interest to group interest. Jonathan Haidt, in his book The Righteous Mind<\/a><\/em>, discusses what this looks like in the context of politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more to learn about the hive mentality in politics, including its pros and cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Tribal Mentality in Politics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To Americans, the most famous political moment that activated their belief in the hive is probably John F. Kennedy\u2019s inaugural appeal to \u201cAsk not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The appeal to the hive, though, is certainly not limited to liberal politicians, or even ones who believe in democracy. The hive mentality is a natural fit for fascism\u2014Mussolini used hivish appeals frequently to success in Italy. Fascists appeal to the nation as a superorganism in itself, where the individual becomes unimportant in service to national goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This might make you afraid of a hive mentality. But lots of hive behavior, like dancing together and exalting each other, comes naturally <\/em>to humans and actually serves to break down social class and difference. Fascist rallies were more spectacles than anything natural like this, and they excluded many citizens from the hive because they served to reinforce class and difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most successful nations<\/a> are ones with lots of little hives that cross with each other\u2014someone can be part of a family unit, a workplace, a sports team outside of work, and on and on. Nations with no hives, or those with one huge hive, are much more likely to break down, because they\u2019ll either have no connections between their citizens or one huge connection that is tenuous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having some competing hives, America\u2019s founders argued, actually helps to prevent tyranny. By existing in many small hives that compete with one another, we make sure that no hive gets too powerful. And the social capital that we get from participating in civil society\u2014bowling leagues, church groups, and many other organizations\u2014makes us smarter and generally more successful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note: Haidt takes this argument from Robert Putnam\u2019s 1995 essay and 2000 book \u201cBowling Alone.\u201d Putnam continues in his argument to say that in America we are losing <\/em>a lot of this participation in civil society due to the rise of television as constant entertainment. As engagement in civil organizations goes down, we\u2019re less successful.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pros (and Cons) of Hive Mentality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In sum, we have evolved to cooperate with members of our group and prevail over members of rival groups. Given our groupish<\/a> tendencies, it\u2019s not surprising that hive mentality is so prevalent in modern society. We were not made to love everyone equally and unconditionally\u2014rather, we were made to feel kinship with and loyalty to those with similar traits, and our righteousness springs from this tribalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some, this idea is a depressing one. But, as we\u2019ve seen, a lot of moral good comes out of our hive mentality and behavior. Without tribes, there would be no community and no cooperation. Our groupishness<\/a> pulls us out of our self-interested individualism and, for many, provides a higher purpose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How does the hive mentality manifest in politics? Is it beneficial or detrimental? A hive mentality is one of group interest rather than self-interest. Just as bees work together for the benefit of the hive, we can do the same when we flip the hive switch and move from self-interest to group interest. Jonathan Haidt, in his book The Righteous Mind, discusses what this looks like in the context of politics. Read more to learn about the hive mentality in politics, including its pros and cons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":43136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[275,9,24],"tags":[431],"class_list":["post-43133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-psychology","category-society","tag-the-righteous-mind","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Hive Mentality in Politics: A Force for Good or Bad? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A hive mentality is one of group interest rather than self-interest. 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