Coping with Affective Polarization

The interdisciplinary Einstein Research Unit "Coping with Affective Polarization" ties in with current debates on polarization and its consequences for social cohesion. The overall goal is to identify strategies for dealing with the negative consequences of affective polarization. Specifically, the Einstein Research Unit pursues three goals: (1) the establishment of a Berlin Polarization Monitor; (2) the identification of strategies for coping with affective polarization at the level of the individual, social interactions, and civil society groups; (3) the derivation of applied interventions.
The interdisciplinary research team of eleven principal investigators combines expertise from psychology, psychiatry, political science, sociology, communication science, and philosophy. The team works with a strong network of civil society partners to combine basic research with regional application. By doing so, the team can build on work from the BUA Exploration Project "Social Cohesion and Civil Society: Interaction Dynamics in Times of Disruption" (https://www.explore-interactions.de).