Polarization: From Mega-Identity to Polish Improvisation

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon of polarization, viewed not as a systemic failure but as its inevitable outcome. The author combines the perspective of Henri Tajfel's social psychology with Ezra Klein's political science diagnosis, explaining how the "minimal group" mechanism evolved into contemporary mega-identities. The text deconstructs the processes of party sorting and the influence of economic and media incentives on radicalization. By analyzing tribal epistemology and motivated reasoning, the author identifies the fundamental driving forces of social divisions. This is an important contribution to the discussion about how systemic conditions shape our identities and why the conflict of "us" versus "them" has become a central axis of public life, requiring a thorough intellectual reconstruction.