Fifty years of divisive politics has politically fractured American society. President Trump is hinting that he might refuse to leave office if the November election doesnāt go his way. Regardless of the electionās outcome, āwhat will Americans do to pick up the pieces of our fractured society and get back to work on our most pressing problems?ā
FINDING COMMON GROUND Much of the recent work by Peter T. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education, focuses on how to get people to stop talking past one another. (Photo: TC Archives)
Now is the time in America to strengthen this most-essential autoimmune system in order to avert disaster and get us back on track.
āPeter T. Coleman
Peter T. Colemanās answer to that question, which he poses in , is āpositive devianceā ā a term taken from study of international peace-building efforts that refers to effective, sustainable interventions that often come from bridge-building groups within a society. Coleman, Professor of Psychology & Education and Director of TCās , argues that even as Americans are becoming increasingly accepting of political violence, and even as the coming fight over the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg threatens to worsen existing divides, much can be done to support āour nascent ecology of unity.ā He calls for āa national initiative to connect, support and expand to scale the many bridging groups currently working on their own,ā concluding: āNow is the time in America to strengthen this most-essential autoimmune system in order to avert disaster and get us back on track.ā
[Read . Learn more about his new book, , which will be published in 2021 by Columbia University Press.]