After teaching leadership for education, business, and political officials in Europe and Asia for a number of years, I compiled my program into a book in 2006 entitled, Ideal Leadership: Time for a Change. Ironically, Barack Obama was running for president and used “Change” as his campaign focus. Many thought I was piggybacking on Obama, and I had to tell folks I was piggybacking a lot further back than that.
The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus made the following quote about change: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and he is not the same man.” Aristotle said much the same thing but much more directly: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
A bit more contemporary is the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who wrote what became known as the “Serenity Prayer,” which has been used by Alcoholics Anonymous and other organizations, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
The psychology of change helps us understand not only what is going on in society but also how we see things around us.
For example, we can start with the fact that we instinctively dislike change. Think about it: How often do you change the route you take to work or go to a different coffee shop or grocery store, etc.?
No, our instincts are to stay in the same pattern until something changes. Maybe the grocery store stops stocking one of your favorite foods, or a road is being worked on, and you need a different route to work, etc. But note that we change because the environment changes. Quite simply, we change for pain or gain. President Ronald Reagan summed it up nicely, “When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.”
Now, this brings us to such things as politics and elections. Subconsciously, we evaluate politicians at any level by how they deal with our pain or improve our gain. Let’s look at how this played out between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, particularly in the month of October, which almost always pulls the electorate one way or another. Especially in a close election as this one was, the campaign has to laser focus on the voters’ fears or desires, especially those on the sidelines still making up their minds. There have been a number of issues in this election cycle, but the three that the constituents seem mostly concerned about are the inflated economy, illegal immigration, and crime.
Vice President Harris has put a lot of focus on three main points: reproductive freedom (primarily abortion), helping the disadvantaged (especially the people of color), and preventing Donald Trump from becoming the next Adolph Hitler.
Former President Donald Trump has championed “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) for some time, which focuses on a robust economy, freedom based on the amendments to the US Constitution, and the rule of law.
Someone does not have to be a political expert to match these up. If the pollsters are right about the primary issues being inflation, immigration, and crime, then it does not take a brain surgeon to recognize which campaign matches those issues more than the other.
Ah, but there is one other psychological aspect to voting to consider, and that is the process of decision-making. Our brain goes through a five-fold process in deciding anything: need, Want, Time, Money, and Source.
Take, for example, you have a car that is costing more for maintenance than it is worth. You have a NEED for a better car. You then consider what kind of car you WANT given how you will use it. The car you have now is not going to last very long, so your TIME is rather short for making a decision. Of course, you need to keep it in your budget (MONEY). All of these are common sense, I know, but there is one more that is rarely recognized. All four of these may be spot on, but the buyer also has to accept the person or SOURCE that is selling it to them.
Back to the election, Americans have been discontented since 2020. Many felt that year’s election was flawed, but the truth of the matter was Trump’s approval rating was 34%, and his highest was 41%. He had a record 81-percentage-point gap between Republicans and Democrats. This is why Kamala Harris centered the last days of her campaign with the “Trump equals Hitler” mantra. Who knows, it might just work and give her the presidency. If Trump wins, he hit the right buttons, and there were enough voters who trusted him to make it so.
(Anyone interested in my book on Leadership can pick up a free copy at the Webb Weekly office in South Williamsport as an early Christmas gift from me.)
