(Left Couch)/Right Couch: Psychotherapy as a Case of Inconspicuous Polarization

• In Event: Sociology of Culture Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): 6. Far-Right Movements & Extremist Discourse

Abstract

Political polarization is a central topic of sociological scholarship. A growing subset of this research concerns “lifestyle polarization,” or political polarization within ostensibly non-political, everyday contexts. In this article, I advance a theory of what I call inconspicuous polarization, whereby a case of lifestyle polarization either goes unnoticed or unspoken of by an unmarked majority. I posit that inconspicuous polarization requires a minority group to “mark” themselves as politically opposed to the majority, making the inconspicuous conspicuous. Drawing from 134 in-depth interviews, I illustrate inconspicuous polarization within the case site of psychotherapy. I first show how “conservative therapy” emerged as a unique category in 2020, in direct opposition to a broader, left-leaning field. I then turn to psychotherapeutic practice, showing how conservative therapists and (liberal) therapists approach their work differently, ultimately resulting in two contrasting ethics: an ethic of personal responsibility versus an ethic of social responsibility.

Author

• Nick Rekenthaler, New York University