It begins simply with three words: “We the People.” In 1787, those words announced to the world the intention of Americans to engage in self-government. The document said “We,” not “I, James Madison,” or “I, George Washington.” The document also said, “People,” and left the word unburdened by adjectives like “White,” or “Christian.” This government structure and procedures was to be managed by all “the people,” and amended whenever “the people” saw fit.
I think there’s a lot of psychology in the Preamble to the Constitution, plus a lot of coping principles that we talk about in this blog. In drawing up this document, the Founders showed humility by saying that “the people” had to agree to the document; the Founders were not going to impose it upon them as some monarch might. The Founders also showed considerable empathy and understanding of their fellow Americans. They understood their need for a productive life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness described in Jefferson’s Declaration, and they designed a government with those needs in mind. Most importantly, though, by requiring ratification by all the states, and by putting in the document amendment procedures initiated by “the people,” they allowed “the people” to make their government in their own image – to form a government that would allow them to find purpose and meaning in their lives, to actualize themselves. I find including those processes to be an impressive application of sound psychological principles. Think about it. Psychology has always recognized the need for people to find ways to “be all I can be.” We all want to be the best we can be, to reach our full potential, to supervise and manage ourselves, to be independent and secure with who we are. The Founders are telling us, “We have a government to help actualize yourselves! Do you want it?”
Humility, empathy, and purposefulness—all must operate within the boundaries of the rights of others if our coping efforts are to succeed. If you are in it for yourself, and want to dominate others with no regard for their needs, you are destined for poor coping at best, and self-destruction at worst. Mark Leary, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, says, “After more than 40 years of research on human nature, I have come to believe that most of the serious problems people create—for themselves and for society—are rooted in excessive self-preoccupation. People think about themselves far too much, selfishly focus on what they want without sufficient regard for other people, believe that they and their group are special, and think that their beliefs are correct.”
I think the Founders of this country understood the danger of excessive self-absorption to an individual’s psychological stability, and they extrapolated this principle to a government design based on “we,” not “me.” Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, and even before the Constitution had passed, things begin to fracture in politics. In our time, that fracture has grown into serious Constitutional threats and damage. Humility and Empathy have given way to “Me”—self-absorption, greed, egotism, and a view of others not as partners in government, but as convenient steps in a ladder of glorification and deification of self. Self-preoccupation, the belief that I am superior to you, that my needs take precedence over yours, that I am special and you are unworthy of my help, will not end well. Psychology has shown again and again how an emphasis on “Me” puts individuals on a self-destructive path that damages not only themselves, but also their family, friends, and acquaintances. Why would we expect anything different at the level of a society and a country?
Psychology and Stress 