A long-ish thread (sorry) for those interested in my piece about Brexit-induced anxiety (politico.eu/article/brexit…).
From feedback — some good, some, er, not so good — it seems quite a few are.
Anyway, it turns out there are peer-reviewed academic articles on this very subject...
From feedback — some good, some, er, not so good — it seems quite a few are.
Anyway, it turns out there are peer-reviewed academic articles on this very subject...
One article has been written by Warwick University’s Christopher Browning in the journal European Security on the subject of “how the Brexit Referendum on the UK's membership of the EU has been a source of destabilisation, dread and ontological anxiety”: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
The article concludes that the referendum result has been “a cause of considerable anxiety and ontological insecurity for Remain supporters."
It says there are several "mechanisms" through which individuals typically seek to restore their lost sense of security in such circs 👇
It says there are several "mechanisms" through which individuals typically seek to restore their lost sense of security in such circs 👇
One of these mechanisms is to “identify with broader communities; to establish a place of sanctuary & safety called 'home'." Another: "to transpose anxieties about the unknown onto identifiable objects of fear & blame around which new narratives of social order can be developed.”
Importantly, the paper also points out while Brexit is a source of insecurity for some, “for many others – and certainly for many Brexiteers – it has been experienced as deeply ontologically affirming”
“For many Leavers the vote has been a valedictory and cathartic experience, one signifying their reclaiming of a sense of subjectivity they have long felt denied to them."
Interestingly the paper says "in actuality Leave voters were more likely to be middle class than poor" even if they might have "felt" they were poor. I think this is disputed @GoodwinMJ?
"In this respect, the idea that Brexit signified the masses rising up against the metropolitan liberal ruling elite, though a simplification, does capture core elements of prevailing sentiment.”
I should also point out, neither of the psychologists I spoke to for the piece used the term "Brexit Anxiety Disorder" nor does this academic paper. It's a headline. All were/are, however, concerned with anxiety caused by Brexit & how people respond in (often) unhelpful ways
A second academic study, sent to me by email this afternoon, looks at "The Role of Personality, Authoritarianism and Cognition in the United Kingdom’s 2016 Referendum on European Union Membership" onlineprivacyfoundation.org/opf-research/p…
A group called the Online Privacy Foundation conducted six tests between April 9th 2016 and June 23rd 2016, with a total of 11,225 participants. It claimed to find "personality and cognitive differences between Leave and Remain voters."
It found Leave voters were more authoritarian and Remain voters more neurotic. Make of that what you will. ENDS/
