# In an in-depth interview, Professor Jonathan Haidt offers insights on the root of political polarization

1 Faculty News January 30, 2019 ![merion west logo](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/merion-west-logo-feature.jpg?itok=h2QDWDrs)>

Excerpt from [Merion West](https://merionwest.com/2019/01/30/interview-jonathan-haidt-talk-political-division/) -- "There is a deep sense that when you put some effort into something, when you’ve cultivated something and put some work into something, that you own it. Property rights have a deep psychological basis. Human beings are clearly territorial creatures: we mark territory, we improve territory, and then we defend it, often violently."

[Read more](https://merionwest.com/2019/01/30/interview-jonathan-haidt-talk-political-division/)