75% of Americans Feel The Current State Of Politics Encourages Violence

Mainstream Mental Health Radio

75% of Americans Feel The Current State Of Politics Encourages Violence http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-americans-say-u-s-political-debate-is-increasingly-uncivil/ According to a new CBS polls, Americans of all political leanings overwhelmingly say that the tone and level of civility in our political debates has been getting worse in recent years. These views are largely the same across ideologies, too, as about two-thirds of liberals, conservatives and even more moderates feel things have gotten worse. Three-quarters of Americans feel the current tone of politics and debate is encouraging violence among some people. Reflecting Questions What do you think that this new poll reveals about the collective mental state of Americans? What are some of the reasons why you think there is such a hostile & volatile political climate in the US today? When a person acts out in violence because of their reaction to a political matter, what does that reveal about them psychologically? What are some of the ways that you think Americans can return to civil discussions regarding politics? ==== Why are millions of Americans so angry today and what they do to calm down and be at peace? Joining us today is Andrea Brandt, Ph.D, - a marriage and family therapist located in Santa Monica California. Andrea brings over 35 years of clinical experience to the role of individual family therapist, couples counseling, group therapy and anger management classes. In her book 8 Keys to Eliminating Passive-Aggressiveness, Brandt examines strategies for overcoming a common yet debilitating response mechanism. In her second book, Mindful Anger: a pathway to emotional freedom Brandt explores methods to better understand and manage the powerful emotion of anger