What drives your decisions?
When the 2016 political campaigns kicked into full gear, we started seeing negative campaign tactics emerge, as reported by the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal earlier this year. Many commentators remarked that the 2016 election year could be the “most negative, ugly, nasty presidential campaign in modern U.S. history.”
Although the 2016 presidential election has come and gone, the 2018 midterm elections are approaching, and we see more of the same messaging tactics. Those pushing their political agendas turn to negative messaging in order to entice voters. Instead of solely highlighting the positive qualities of potential politicians, campaign managers run advertisements listing the negative attributes and ideologies of their competitors.
Think of someone you voted for. You can probably list a few great things that candidate accomplished, but you can probably also recall why you didn’t vote for their competition. You felt that there were too many negative things they had done or that they held too many beliefs you disagreed with.
What drives your decisions?
Why do politicians use negative campaign tactics? Why isn’t it enough to talk about the good work and beliefs candidates have or want to accomplish if elected? Because negative campaign tactics work, whether it’s for general or presidential elections. Here’s why:
It all comes down to metaprograms, the subconscious filters that shape our perceptions of the outside world. And in particular, the motivation direction metaprogram that determines the type of consequences that are likely to move us to action.
