The Crisis of Connection

Roots, Consequences, and Solutions

Niobe Way, Alisha Ali, Carol Gilligan, Pedro Noguera

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781479819294
• eBook ISBN: 9781479867103
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Applied Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Uncovers the roots and consequences of and offers solutions to the widespread alienation and disconnection that beset modern society

Since the beginning of the 21st century, people have become increasingly disconnected from themselves, each other, and the world around them. A "crisis of connection" stemming from growing alienation, social isolation, and fragmentation characterizes modern society. The signs of this crisis of connection are everywhere, from decreasing levels of empathy and trust, to burgeoning cases of suicide, depression and loneliness. The astronomical rise in inequality around the world has contributed to the critical nature of this moment.

To delve into the heart of the crisis, leading researchers and practitioners draw from the science of human connection to tell a five-part story about its roots, consequences, and solutions. In doing so, they reveal how we, in modern society, have been captive to a false story about who we are as human. This false narrative that takes individualism as a universal truth, has contributed to many of the problems that we currently face. The new story now emerging from across the human sciences underscores our social and emotional capacities and needs. The science also reveals the ways in which the privileging of the self over relationships and of individual success over the common good as well as the perpetuation of dehumanizing stereotypes have led to a crisis of connection that is now widespread. Finally, the practitioners in the volume present concrete solutions that show ways we can create a more just and humane world.

In a time of social distancing and enforced isolation, it is more important than ever to find ways to bridge the gaps among individuals and communities. The Crisis of Connection illuminates concrete pathways to enhancing our awareness of our common humanity, and offers important steps to coming together in unity, even across distances.

INDEX

Page numbers in italic indicate illustrations.

al-Abidin, Zayn (imam), 463

academic underachievement, 108, 113

accommodators, of the black box, 130, 133–35, 137–38

Achebe, Chinua, 417

achievement gap, 108, 113; boys in, 344, 347; gender, 344; racial, 275

action, 450

activism, 205–6, 222–23, 377, 380, 414. See also resistance

actors, 302–3; bodies, 305–6, 313; engaging with play, 311–12; voices of, 305–6. See also Shakespeare, William

administrators, 106, 333

advocacy. See anti-oppression advocacy; personal advocacy, for boys

advocacy-based science, 223–25

Affordable Care Act, 428

Africa, 426

African Americans: oppositional consciousness of, 110; resistance for liberation, as tradition, 114. See also black boys; black girls; black men; black students; black women

African diaspora, 416

age, masculinity and, 183

The Age of Empathy (Waal), 19

Agnes Angst, 328–29

Agriprocessors slaughterhouse raid, 432

AIDS, 45–46

Ainsworth, Mary, 21

Aken’oa, Dorothy, 195–96

al-Abidin, Zayn (imam), 463

Ali (imam), 449, 459

Ali, Alisha, 37, 62n197

alienation, 2, 4–5, 39, 109, 132, 157, 404–5

Allen, Nicole, 224–25

alternative schools, 172n26

altruism, 3, 21

America. See United States

American Psychiatric Association, 180

amnesty, 432

anger, 337

anti-oppression advocacy, 213, 220–23, 225

anti-Semitism, 434

anti-sexism curricula, 202

anxiety disorders, 29–30, 34–35

Aqiba (rabbi), 457

ARC. See Arts, Resources and Curriculum

Ariès, Philippe, 238

Arrastia, Lisa, 39

art, 377; activism and, 414; education and, 427; of immigrants, 417–18; in social justice, 417; for trauma, 427. See also Veterans Center for the Performing Arts

artistry, 331–34

Arts, Resources and Curriculum (ARC), 163

Asian people, 24–25, 430–31

as-Sadiq, Jafar (imam), 451

attachment, 21, 252–55, 263–66, 345

Australia, 34

authentic communication, 258

autoethnography, 240

autonomy, 13, 184

Ayers, Bill, 248–49

babies: attachment of, 252, 263–66;...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction: The Crisis of Connection
• The Crisis of Connection in Human Development
• The Crisis of Connection in Society and Science
• School-Based Solutions
• Community-Based Solutions
• Afterword
• Acknowledgments
• About the Editors
• About the Contributors
• Index