A short conversational YouTube video in which Connor Beaton argues that disagreement—including political disagreement—does not have to lead to disconnection, repeatedly stating "I can disagree with you and still be in relationship with you." Another speaker explains social cognition, describing how people infer intentions and how "psychic equivalence" (treating one’s ascription as truth) prevents perspective-taking and blocks opportunities for explanation.
Chapters
I can disagree with you and still be in relationship with you. I can disagree with you politically and still disagree with you. I can disagree with you and still be in relationship with you. There's almost an ideological narrative out there that says if someone disagrees with you, that is the basis and the grounds for complete disconnection. And I feel like that is very challenging.
Social cognition is a set of mental processes that we use to perceive, interpret, and respond to the social world. It's how we understand people's emotions, intentions, beliefs, behaviors. And the part about intention is the kind of world that we live in today. People ascribe meaning they perceive that they have nefarious intentions where there very well may not be. And the inability to catch oneself and think, well, maybe that's not what that person thinks. When a person has a difficulty engaging in perspective taking, this is called psychic equivalence. The quality that I ascribe is therefore the truth, and I'm going to act accordingly to that ascription. And it doesn't give the person any time to explain themselves.
