This fourth strategy is very powerful and pervasive when there is heavy investment in the alternative narrative—as is often the case with regarding to religious beliefs and political ideologies. The presence of a second (or third) viable narrative is a threat to the narrative one holds dear. The other narrative creates “cognitive dissonance” and must be eliminated or discounted immediately.
A complex addendum can be offered (and often is offered) to an emotionally-laden narrative—suggesting that the true believers will be vindicated or even “saved” by some superior authority or power and that the nonbelievers (those holding the other narrative) will either be found to be in error or condemned to some horrible fate (unless redeemed or forgiven by the charitable true believer). These highly motivated efforts to eliminate cognitive dissonance reinforce the commitment of minority believers to their distinctive social constructs and elicit frequent conflict between those who embrace differing constructs and narratives.
There is yet another response that involves social-psychological development among all parties. There is the movement from a dualistic frame (only one right way to see the world and only one truth) to a multiplicity or expedience frame (if there is no one right way to view the world, then any way is acceptable, as long as you have the freedom or power to engage this viewpoint). As some pendants have noted, there is a new Golden rule: “those with the gold will rule.”
Hopefully, there is movement beyond this expedient multiplistic frame. There is a shift from multiplicity to a reasoned relativism in which multiple narratives are appreciated, understood and accepted. The person, group, organization or society shifts to either a relativistic “smorgasbord” in which each narrative stands independently alongside other independent narratives, or a “melting pot” relativism in which there is a concerted attempt to blend the diverse narratives or create a higher level, shared narrative regarding the acceptance of all narratives (“we are a nation of many colors and many traditions.”)
