Ventura Charco, psychologist: “Many people use social and political tension for one reason”

In recent years, it has become increasingly common to see people clinging intensely to social and political outrage. Constant arguments, extreme positions and an almost compulsive need to confront the “other” seem to occupy a central place in their lives. From a psychological perspective, this phenomenon can be understood not only as a response to complex social contexts, but also as a way of escaping one’s individual reality.

When someone experiences personal dissatisfaction, existential emptiness, frustration or unresolved internal conflicts, it can be emotionally less painful to project that tension outward. Political polarization offers an ideal stage: it provides clear enemies, simplified narratives and the sense of belonging to the “right” side. In this way, inner discomfort is transformed into moral indignation – a socially legitimized emotion that gives meaning and direction to psychological distress.

This is how psychologist Ventura Charco explains it: “It makes no sense to ignore geopolitics, because it’s the context we live in, but it also doesn’t make much sense to be hooked on it, constantly watching what’s happening in the world. What matters is regulating our emotional reaction to what’s going on globally. The first thing we have to do is distinguish between staying informed and this kind of emotional self-harm,” he says at the outset.

“Many people use current events and geopolitics as a way of covering up or escaping from their own individual problems. That is, I have problems with my girlfriend, or I don’t have a job, or something is going wrong in my life, and I’m constantly watching what’s happening in Ukraine or China or getting into arguments online, because focusing on that creates a smokescreen that distracts me and stops me from looking at what’s happening in my own life,” adds the expert on his podcast Psicología Cruda.

Externalizing life

Another factor at play is the externalization of conflict. Instead of confronting uncomfortable questions about their own lives – decisions not taken, fears, emotional shortcomings or a lack of purpose – people channel their emotional energy into collective debates that do not require deep personal change.

Charco puts it this way: “There is sometimes a paradox where, when I don’t take responsibility for what’s happening in my inner world or in my own life, I feel a greater need to focus on what’s happening in the external world in order to have a false sense of doing something or being in control.”

Social outrage also reinforces identity. In moments of personal uncertainty, defining oneself politically in radical terms can offer a sense of coherence and self-worth: “I am this because I am against that.” This reactive identity reduces existential anxiety, but at the cost of weakening inner reflection and self-criticism. The individual feels strong in external conflict, while avoiding the vulnerability that comes with looking inward.

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