The Fix That Divides: How Emotional Well-being Influences American Political Conflict
Abstract
A study of 500 American voters reveals that 86.8% share a "fixing" mindset across political divides, characterized by an Avoidant/Persuasive communication style that paradoxically contributes to political polarization. While this common desire to improve society suggests potential unity, the research shows how differing views on what needs fixing and how to fix it may deepen political divisions, highlighting the need for more bridge-building approaches.
Keywords
Emotional well-being, Emotional Intelligence, Politics, Political Typology, Political Divide
Table of Contents Show
Introduction
A groundbreaking study by the EI3.0 research team at The Center for Emotional Well-being has uncovered a fascinating paradox in American politics: our shared desire to "fix" society may be what's keeping us divided.
The Study
Researchers examined the political typology and emotional well-being of 500 participants (250 Republicans and 250 Democrats) using two assessment tools:
The Emotional Intelligence 3.0's Emotional Well-being Assessment
The Political Typology Quiz organizes the public into nine distinct groups:
This graphic is the intellectual property of the Pew Research Center.
The Emotional Well-being assessment categorizes individuals into five profiles based on their emotional balance, a key determinant of emotional well-being. These profiles, from low emotional balance to high emotional balance, are: Defending, Guarding, Fixing, Empowering, and Inspiring.
The research team found a statistically significant relationship between political typology and emotional well-being profile (p = .026), indicating that these associations are unlikely to have occurred by chance.
Key Findings
The Profile Distribution table reveals a striking imbalance in emotional well-being profiles across the political spectrum. The most remarkable observation is the overwhelming dominance of the "Fixing" Profile at 86.8% - suggesting that regardless of political affiliation, most Americans approach societal issues with a "fix-it" mentality.
What's particularly concerning is the scarcity of "Empowering" and "Inspiring" Profiles (totaling only 3%), which are typically associated with bridge-building and consensus-forming abilities.
The Profile Distribution Table.
Here is the breakdown of the Fixing Profile across the political groups:
Progressive Left: 50%
Establishment Liberals: 86.6%
Democrat Mainstays: 83.9%
Outsider Left: 100%
Stressed Sideliners: 88.6%
Ambivalent Right: 95.5%
Populist Right: 75%
Committed Conservatives: 86.2%
Flag & Faith Conversvatives: 80%
The Fixing Paradox
The study reveals an intriguing insight: while most Americans share a desire to improve society, this very impulse may contribute to our political gridlock. That’s because of the different perspectives on "Fixing.” Each group has:
Unique definitions of what needs repair
Distinct approaches to solutions
Varying priorities
Different underlying values
The Downside of Fix-It Thinking
When everyone adopts a "fixing" mindset, certain things happen:
Frustration builds when others reject proposed solutions
Compromise becomes difficult
Quick fixes are prioritized over dialogue
Listening diminishes
In Emotional Intelligence 3.0, the Fixing Profile has an Avoidant/Persuasive communication style. A person with this profile alternates between conflict avoidance and insistent problem-solving. Depending on the approach, a person with this profile can be seen as inauthentic or pushy. While this profile typically has a mindset of “Let’s all just get along,” their communication patterns don’t nurture cohesion; they tend to divide.
The Bridge-Building Gap
The data highlights a critical shortage in our bridge-building:
Only 2.8% of participants displayed "empowering" traits
A mere 0.2% showed "inspiring" characteristics
Few focus on finding common ground
The Metaphor
Imagine a room full of skilled mechanics, each convinced their diagnosis and repair approach is the only correct one. Despite their expertise and good intentions, the vehicle remains broken because they can't agree on how to fix it. That’s precisely what is happening in American Politics today. We all have good intentions but can’t agree on how to fix what is perceived to be broken.
The Hope Within The Challenge
This research reveals both a problem and a possibility. While our collective "fixing" mindset currently contributes to division, the underlying desire to improve society represents shared good intentions. The path forward may lie not in trying to fix each other's views but in developing more "empowering" and "inspiring" approaches that can build bridges across our political divide.
"This study shows that most Americans genuinely want to make things better," notes Dr. Tomi White Bryan, Executive Director of the Center for Emotional Well-being. "The challenge isn't a lack of care—it's that our very determination to 'fix' things our own way keeps driving us apart."
NOTE: The Political Typology Quiz is the intellectual property of the Pew Research Center. We are grateful for the ability to use their material.
