Democracy survives elections. Some friends and families do not. | Opinion
Maine Psychiatrist Urges Humility Ahead of 2026 Election
Portland, Maine — Dr. Jeffrey S. Barkin, a Portland psychiatrist and former president of the Maine Medical Association, has cautioned that the upcoming 2026 election could strain family and community ties if voters allow partisan debate to override personal relationships.
Barkin, who co‑hosts the WGAN podcast “A Healthy Conversation,” published a column in the Press Herald as part of its Maine Matters series in early March. The piece, written under the “Elections 2026” tag, draws on his experience treating patients and on broader observations of how political disagreement can erode long‑standing bonds.
In the column, Barkin recounted two patient stories. One man said, “I don’t know how to fix this,” after a political argument with his brother fractured a relationship that had lasted more than 60 years. The patient later explained, “I don’t even remember how it started. I only know I don’t have a brother anymore.” The second patient, a longtime coffee‑group friend, lamented, “I miss my Tuesdays,” after a once‑friendly Tuesday morning gathering dissolved once politics dominated the conversation.
Barkin’s main argument is that while elections naturally invite debate, the “quiet death of ordinary relationships” can be a greater casualty of political incivility. He contrasts “convention” with “contempt,” noting that the latter turns a disagreement about policy into a judgment of character, often leading to silence, humiliation, and estrangement.
The psychiatrist highlights how modern political communication, he says, “makes that destruction easier.” He points to the speed with which outrage and humiliation can spread on social media, creating a climate where nuance is less visible than shock value. Yet, he emphasizes, the majority of people are not “enraged at one another” and will continue to share everyday spaces—schools, grocery stores, and community events—regardless of partisan divides.
“Politics, however important, occupies only part of our human life,” Barkin writes. “After a close election, nearly half the voters may wake up disappointed. Yet Republicans and Democrats will still work together the next morning. Their children will attend the same schools. They will shop in the same grocery stores, sit beside one another at Little League games and wait in the same doctors’ offices.”
He concludes with a call for humility and the preservation of relationships: “Ask yourself not only, ‘Am I right?’ but also, ‘What am I risking in order to prove it?’ Sometimes the answer will be that the principle matters enough to justify the conflict. Sometimes the answer will be Tuesday mornings.”
Barkin’s column arrives as Maine, along with the rest of the United States, prepares for a highly contested 2026 presidential election. The Press Herald has been covering Maine’s political landscape extensively under its Maine Matters banner, providing updates, analysis, and commentary on the upcoming campaign season.
