by those
             seeking power within the group - and thus, to further group
             In the above example, the two main combatants, Bill Clinton
             and Newt Gingrich, were virtually forced to take uncompromising,
             disparate views because of the very nature of authority within their
             respective political groups. Group polarization refers to the tendency
             of groups to gravitate to the extreme of whatever opinion the group
             shares (Baron & Graziano, 1991, p.498-99). Therefore, if the extreme
             is seen as a desirable characteristic, individuals who exhibit extreme
             beliefs will gain authority through referent power. In other words,
             they will have characteristics that other group members admire and
             seek to emulate (p. 434). Unfortunately, this circle of polarization
             and authority can lead to a bizarre form of "one-upsmanship" in which
             each group member seeks to gain power and approval by being more
             extreme than the others. The end result is extremism in the pursuit of
             authority without any regard to the practicality or "reasonableness"
             of the beliefs in question. Since the direction of polarization is
             currently in opposite directions in our two party system, it is almost
             impossible to find a common ground between them. In addition, the
             competitive nature of the two party system many times eliminates even
             the possibility of compromise since failure usually leads to a
             If both victory and extremism are necessary to retain power
             within the group, and if, as Alfie Kohn (1986) stated in his book No
             Contest: The Case Against Competition, competition is "mutually
             exclusive goal attainment" (one side must lose in order for the other
             to win), then compromise and cooperation are impossible (p. 136). This
             is especially so if the opponents are dedicated to retaining power "at
             all costs." That power is an end in itself is made clear by the recent
             shutdown of the government. It served n...