David Rock of the NeuroLeadership Institute appeared recently on CNN to help better understand why various groups either get along while others don’t. The interview topic was prompted by how the working of the brain can influence the differences between Congress and the Presidential Office and more specifically how it relates to the discussions over the ‘fiscal cliff”.
Research by Rock and others in this field has shown that there is a very natural logic behind this type of bipartisan behavior that goes way beyond any political or moral ideology. Since the beginning of time we have functioned in small communities which Rock refers to as “In Groups”. Anyone outside this group is seen as a natural threat by the brain and is referred to as belonging to an “Out Group”. Read more