Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity Illustrated Edition,

Lilliana Mason examines the psychology of political partisanship in America, showing how polarization has shifted from policy disagreements to social identity conflicts. Research demonstrates that members of both major parties now hold strongly unfavorable views of their opponents, a trend laid bare by the campaign and election of Donald Trump and its rhetoric of "us versus them." Mason argues that group identifications—rooted in racial, religious, and cultural divisions that now align with the two major parties—have fundamentally changed how Americans view themselves and their political opponents. Even when Democrats and Republicans agree on policy outcomes, they tend to distrust each other and prioritize party victory. While these polarizing social divisions have simplified electoral choices and increased political engagement, Mason contends they have not benefited American democracy overall. Drawing on political science and social psychology, the book explains this increasingly "social" form of polarization and deepens understanding of contemporary American politics.