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The U.S. Constitution as a
Psychological Study



          For many people, reading through the U.S. Constitution seems like nothing but a dry list of administrative procedure.  Beneath it all, however, is a psychological barrier designed to prevent individuals from using this government to rule over the people.  To achieve this goal, the writers had to counteract the attitudes, reasons and excuses used by various rulers and monarchs in the past.
          For centuries, royalty was the most commonly accepted form of government.  This came with numerous reasons why certain individuals should have 'power' over the people, most notably wealth and titles of importance.  On that point, the founders of this country got into the heads of old rulers and decided government didn't need such a flashy show.  By allowing Americans to ignore money and fancy titles, the founders called the bluff on royalty.  Building on this kind of concept helps preserve government where the people have a voice.
          Like anyone else, naturally, the founders could not look ahead to see the changes industrialization would bring to America.  By the late 19th century, many large organizations had grown up in the private sector of the country, mostly connected with business and education.  The style of leadership in most of these organizations was taken from Old World royalty rather than American freedom and equality.  Once again, the public is supposed to be impressed with wealth and symbols of importance.  Fortunately, there is still no law in the USA that requires citizens to show any special admiration for people with fancy titles and money.
          In an industrial society, there are titles which indicate certain responsibilities and technical qualifications.  As it goes, however, some people still pursue titles purely for a sense of 'status'.  The idea of 'status' is that a title, any title, makes a person 'better' than everyone else.  With no thought of American equality, these are educated people who would reverse the present course of social progression and return to a time when titles and money ruled the day.  On this point, certain facets of the U.S. Constitution prevent this psychological attitude from taking hold.
          Many people have unusual talent for certain activities, but the talent alone doesn't make a person 'better' than everyone else.  Achieving a sense of 'status' is part of the human condition and will always be around.  Keeping track of the changes in reasons and excuses used by these people is essential to prevent their influence.  It was rather brilliant of the writers to deal with this behavior several decades before psychology was considered an actual field of study.  Learning and building on the work of the founders is among the keys to maintaining government where the people have a voice.



          


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