Fight bad behavior by labeling it as ‘other’

In other words, to socially fight another person’s addiction, compulsion, or generally bad behavior, label it as something “other people” do.

In other words, if you’re a good progressive, say, “Only neocons do that,” or “Only Republicans do that.”

Snark aside, many progressives may not like that idea, nor the idea behind it, but, it’s got strong support from evolutionary psychology, in the good sense, and not Evolutionary Psychology, in the bad sense. Or, to use the language of social psychology, it’s the difference between an “ingroup” and an “outgroup.”

Our brains have evolved as discrimination machines, using that word neutrally and philosophically/scientifically.

And, the bottom line, per the story?

Social psychology experiments show it works.