Election to Inauguration: The Liminal Space Is Over

By Robin Stern, Krista Smith, and Cecily Lipton

In the immediate wake of November’s election, no topic invited greater speculation or judgment than how someone cast their ballot. Whispers, phone calls, and texts spread with the reminder that political choices are a kind of public litmus test: a measure for who to blacklist from your inner circle.

Relationships ended, classes were canceled, emotions taken out in rage rooms where customers smashed objects to let off steam: While politics are inherently contentious, this post-election environment scaled to new heights and cultivated a liminal space—from election to inauguration—like no other.

Liminal space can be thought of as time between “here” and “there,” like sitting in a waiting room before surgery or navigating the weeks leading up to graduation before stepping into "real life." It is a state of transition, an in-between where outcomes remain unknown and uncertainty thrives. From election to inauguration, this is where our country sat: unsettled and unsure how the next four years will unfold.

During this time, emotions easily clashed in confusing and unexpected ways. It was common to feel a mix of anxiety about the unknown, fear of what might go wrong, and eagerness for possibilities ahead—all happening at once. "Big" emotions also sometimes pushed people toward extremes. In everyday conversations, these emotions were often taken out on others as individuals attempted to regain a sense of control by clinging to simplistic and polarizing narratives. Distrust ran rampant and remains so.

Now, the inauguration is upon us. The liminal space is ending.

Though there is no definitive roadmap for navigating our way out of this liminal space, there strategies based on the skills of emotional intelligence.

In a quote often attributed to psychologist Viktor Frankl, we learn that “Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Indeed, this space is also where you can find techniques of emotional intelligence hard at work—or not. The choice is ours. For the sake of our individual well-being (if not sanity), relationships, and collective country, here are tips for cultivating emotional intelligence in the space between stimulus and response—in liminal space and beyond:

• Commit to nuanced self-awareness. Identify how your emotions bleed into your political beliefs and reactions—because they do. Emotions constantly inform our decisions, but they don’t have to run the show. Take a moment to reflect on how your feelings color your view of others, and how others’ feelings might color their own in return. Consider your motivations when “calling out.” Instead, aim to call in—an invitation to meaningful dialogue and connection over outright disagreement.
• Ask questions. Get curious, rather than judgmental, about others’ perspectives. Right now, assumptions abound and questions are few. Instead of speculating others' beliefs or ballots, engage in conversations with genuine curiosity. Whether in-person or (especially) online, ask thoughtful questions about policy stances and perspectives to gain deeper insight. This approach doesn’t just model emotional intelligence—it builds respect and connection among a society craving it (and not another online debate).
• Take accountability—for how you react in moments of uncertainty, how you respond to new information, and where you take in content. Set limits on time spent in the echo chambers of social media. Strive to understand and respect a diversity of perspectives rather than engage in knee-jerk reactions to shame or shun. This isn’t just about "playing nice" with others—taking accountability for your own emotional regulation in a time of political polarization enhances the health of your relationships and overall well-being in ways that cynicism and moral superiority simply cannot.
• Extend grace to yourself and others. Recognize that differences in socioeconomic background, religion, and other nuances of identity and life experiences influence political behavior. Instead of using this understanding to fuel animosity, allow it to foster informed dialogue. In an environment of curiosity and compassion, we give ourselves and others the gift of grace without guilt, accountability without shame, and growth without the burden of judgment.

Krista Smith, MAT, MSW, is a Master of Nonprofit Leadership student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice. She has worked at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence as a postgraduate associate. Cecily Lipton is an undergraduate researcher studying psychology and markets and management at Duke University. She is passionate about using writing to share both her research and lived experiences.