抄録
Numerous studies have been conducted over the past few decades to understand how social and political values contribute to political polarization. In modern society, where social divisions are rampant, it is crucial to reveal the psychological underpinnings of political polarization, its negative impact on democracy, and how it can be mitigated. Values concerning socio-political issues are often linked to moral judgments, which can frame one’s attitudes toward the issues as a matter of “right” versus “wrong.” Such framing significantly contributes to political polarization because different viewpoints are, by definition, mutually exclusive for moralized values (A “right” attitude must be accepted, and a “wrong” attitude cannot be accepted). Research has consistently demonstrated that moral convictions can harm interpersonal and intergroup relations and lead to social network fragmentations. This paper reviews recent research on moral conviction, particularly emphasizing its impact on interpersonal and intergroup relations as well as social network compositions. We then highlight the roles of motivations to form a shared reality with communication partners as a potential psychological foundation of political polarization, especially concerning attitudes held with moral convictions. Finally, we discuss how fragmented social networks can recursively affect interpersonal and intergroup relations through obtained sense of shared reality.
