It's called 'negational identity,' and new study finds it's a powerful political tool

In the current Presidential campaign it has been said often enough to become a cliche: both candidates will need to reach beyond their respective political bases to appeal to a larger-than-usual body of independent voters.

How to do so? Accentuate the negative -- or "negational identity," as behavioral scholars put it.

"Even if individuals cannot agree on who they are, they often agree on who or what they are not," a new study explains. "Simply reminding people of what they are not can transform attitudes towards different groups, shift loyalties, and political preferences, and thus drive coalition building."