Polarization in the World of COVID-19

Polarization in the World of COVID-19

During times of great crisis, people are supposed to come together and set aside their “petty” differences to confront a common enemy. There have been many times in the history of the United States (and in the history of many other countries) when this push toward unity has been quite impressive. This does not seem to be the case at the present time–at least in the United States. The stress associated with COVID-19 seems to have aggravated the differences and suspicions among citizens. The elusive and unseen enemy (the virus) seems to be have left Americans terrified and often frozen in place. Everyone who is not known to us could be a threat to our health, our livelihood — and ultimately our fundamental security.

A second session of the Global Psychology Task Force continued to focus on this theme of polarization, with specific emphasis being placed on the polarization that is embedded in racism. The dialogue was convened by Karin Burtamonte, a Task Force Member. [Note: if the video does not immediately appear, lick on the heading and then clock on the arrow that appears.]

https://vimeo.com/427052525:

 

 

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William BergquistWilliam Bergquist, Ph.D. An international coach and consultant in the fields of psychology, management and public administration, author of more than 50 books, and president of a psychology institute. Dr. Bergquist consults on and writes about personal, group, organizational and societal transitions and transformations. His published work ranges from the personal transitions of men and women in their 50s and the struggles of men and women in recovering from strokes to the experiences of freedom among the men and women of Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In recent years, Bergquist has focused on the processes of organizational coaching. He is coauthor with Agnes Mura of coachbook, co-founder of the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations and co-founder of the International Consortium for Coaching in Organizations.

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