A Psychological and Sociological Examination

Taking the mystery out of why one chooses to become a Global Warming Alarmist (GWA) is important. Much can be learned from the fields of social psychology and sociology to explain how this occurs. It should be noted then that unique, individual motivating factors predicting and accompanying a person to favorably select a global warming position will not herein be considered, rather factors at large and how people respond to the factors will be my spotlight.

Would You Like to help the Environment?

Suffice it to say that most all prospective alarmists, after first meeting the GWA through media propaganda messages, Inconvenient Truth, begin their indoctrination through other emotional stimulus propaganda. This endevour and journey, sometimes completely unknown to it’s victims, is propagated by a class of society that advocate for equality and fairness, at any cost. Most often, its victims are children who are being indoctrinated through their parents and government schools who were also indoctrinated by their parents and schools. Quite predictably, the teachers of this philosophy are asking their potential followers very emotionally based questions which solicit predictable responses. These responses are then highly praised! How important is this praise?

Social psychologists view praise as an extremely potent social reward, not only predicting actions but also capable of altering an individual’s underlying attitudes and beliefs (Insko, 1965). Research has demonstrated that people come to like those who view them positively (Byrne & Rhamey, 1965). During initial moments, it is common to hear reassuring comfort from the alarmist teacher that the potential convert is wise and intelligent to be showing interest in the knowledge which his very life depends on. However, as the initiate enjoys the attention and praise of his attention, he may begin to acquire what social psychologists call attitude-discrepant behavior.

Attitude-Discrepant Behavior

A famous theory in social psychology is Leon Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957; Wichlund & Brehm, 1976). It is based on the premise that people can’t live with inconsistencies. It works like this: On the one hand, the prospective convert usually has serious questions and doubts in the back of his mind about Global Alarmists and their teachings. It may be the science, their view of the governments, their exclusive claims to knowledge, etc. Or, he may imagine the embarrassment of having to prove his beliefs. Yet, he is allowing the Alarmist teacher into his thought and is participating in an endevour to gain knowledge of the workings of the planet. Since his behavior is not yet in line with his negative attitudes towards the alarmists, he manifests attitude-discrepant behavior. He may also face harsh warnings from his family and friends who tell him that shouldn’t study with the alarmist because they are are not superior. Yet he may have an honest curiosity about what the real truth is. He may go as far as verbally giving answers to typical questions but not actually believing what he is saying. These are inconsistencies between his attitudes and result in a very unpleasant feeling (Higgins, Rhodewalt, & Zanna, 1979). If the potential convert does not initially have conflicting attitudes towards studying with the alarmists, it is very likely to appear in a short time. Perhaps he will come upon some critical literature exposing the alarmist teachings, or talk to a former alarmist or another educated person. Even if someone does not present him with a critical viewpoint, he will often pose questions which will force him into a dissonance-creating situation. Read More→