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Well, one only has to look at the irrational support for the divisive and bigoted Republican candidates to see the answer!
People tend to base their election votes primarily on emotion, though a little reasoning does come into it when they are fully aware of the facts relating to a particular candidate or party. Emotions play a big part in voting choice because we tend to be drawn to anything which makes us feel comfortable, secure, which reflects our values and aspirations and which feels inclusive to us.
1. COMFORT and SECURITY....Anything which makes us feel welcome, in alignment with its aims and objectives, will draw us towards it. There is no reasoning in comfort and security. That is pure emotion which makes sure that anxiety and fear are kept well away from us. We want that choice to give us that cosy feeling of having a friend on our side, someone who will always look after our interest, who will keep the bad days away and give us the reassurance that we will be safe under their wing. Hence people will gravitate towards candidates who seem to exude confidence and stability to provide the necessary feeling of security.
2. Reflection of VALUES.....Reasoning takes a back seat when it comes to our values. That's pure emotion and identity. Our values reflect who we are, what we represent and where we hope to go. Any party or candidate reflecting our values immediately has our vote. That tells us we are among friends, among people who care about what we value, and the country would be in a 'safe pair of hands', being taken in the direction we too are travelling. That is why we tend to become loyal to one party or person over a long period of time because fear ensures that we do not align with anything different which might not work. So we tend to stick to tried and tested governments, which deliver the same dubious fare time after time, but which keep our comfort levels high and our values as priority.
3. Personal ASPIRATIONS....We tend to vote for our future, whoever appears to be able to make that possible. Our life is all about pleasure and pain which are both controlled by our emotions. It is natural that we are going to gravitate towards those who give us the most pleasure and are perceived to diminish any pain. Thus we will be keen to cast our votes for anyone fulfilling those essential emotional needs which align with our aspirations of what we would like to achieve and to be: anyone who would be able to fulfil our dreams and increase that sense of pleasure and value.
4. Feeling INCLUSIVE.....Any party which welcomes us and makes us feel significant and special has our vote. We all want to matter to others, to feel worthy and valued. Any candidate who extends that welcoming hand and genuine warmth will take us with them. If they are good looking as well, even better! It has little to do with reasoning. No one wants to feel on the periphery of life, or to be isolated from the action, and so we tend to vote for those who make us feel we really do matter.
It is feelings and emotions that lead us to the choices we make in elections. Feelings are emotions and they dictate the level of fear and anxiety we feel. The less fearful we are, and the more valued we feel, the more we are drawn towards the source of that warmth. As the proverbial saying goes: "No one is likely to remember what you said, but they will always remember how you made them FEEL."
©Elaine Sihera (Ms CYPRAH) 2012
Emotional Health and People Management Consultant
"Happiness is a state of being. We are the ones who decide whether we wish to be happy or not, by the script we use inside our heads."
