Moral Foundations Theory and Constructive Dialogue (with Caroline Mehl)

Feb 10, 2021 1h 7m 16 insights Episode Page ↗
Spencer Greenberg speaks with Caroline Mell, co-founder and executive director of OpenMind, about Moral Foundations Theory, how it explains human moral reasoning and political divides, and common communication mistakes. They discuss strategies for fostering constructive dialogue and bridging differences in sensitive conversations.
Actionable Insights

1. Cultivate Intellectual Humility

Foster a mindset of intellectual humility by acknowledging the limits of your knowledge and the possibility of being wrong, which can improve decision-making, increase happiness, and strengthen relationships.

2. Define Conversation Goals

Before entering a difficult conversation, be intentional about identifying your specific goal for the discussion to strategically guide your actions towards achieving it.

3. Distinguish Goals and Strategies

In difficult conversations, avoid getting trapped in arguments about strategies; instead, take a step back to uncover the underlying goals each person is pursuing.

4. Employ Integrative Thinking

When goals differ, use integrative thinking to create a new, more creative strategy that can achieve both goals simultaneously, viewing tension as an opportunity for a third solution.

5. Prioritize Relationship Over Persuasion

In many disagreements, shift your goal from persuasion to simply getting along, having a good time, and recognizing differences of opinion without derailing the entire relationship.

6. Frame Arguments for Resonance

Understand others’ moral foundations to intentionally present your own views using examples or language that draw on the foundations they care most about, making your arguments more palatable or understandable.

7. Acknowledge Moral Differences

In disagreements, identify and name the different moral foundations at play, accepting that you may not agree but understanding each other’s underlying values.

8. Respect Opposing Moral Views

Even when strongly disagreeing, use a moral lens to identify the underlying moral justifications and virtues driving another person’s decisions, allowing you to respect their perspective without necessarily agreeing.

9. Assume Good Intent

In disagreements, avoid defaulting to the assumption that the other side is driven by bad intentions; instead, get curious and pay attention to the moral foundations underlying their view.

10. Recognize Others’ Good Intent

Understand that people you disagree with are not necessarily evil or badly motivated; they may be driven by good intent but operate from a different moral worldview.

11. Decode Moral Language

Learn Moral Foundations Theory to identify the underlying moral foundations driving different political views or ideologies, helping you make sense of conversations where people hold different viewpoints.

12. Align Actions with Goals

During a heated conversation, remind yourself of your specific goal and evaluate whether your current actions are bringing you closer to or further away from that objective.

13. Pause When Emotional

If you find yourself getting emotional during a conversation, take a step back by changing the topic, taking a short walk, or getting a glass of water to regain composure.

14. Request Conversation Break

When a conversation becomes heated, name the emotion (e.g., “I’m feeling very heated”) and explicitly request a break from the discussion, as most people will respond positively to de-escalation.

15. Focus on Shared Goals

To make progress and solve common problems, shift focus from differences to shared goals, as excessive focus on differences hinders collaborative problem-solving.

16. Avoid One-Dimensional Characterization

Resist reducing people to single labels or stereotypes; instead, strive to see them as complex individuals to find common ground and work towards shared goals.