Societal / Political
Authoritarianism, Cave Dwelling and the Contemporary Escape from Freedom
Today (during the third decade of the 21st Century) we are finding powerful forces moving many countries toward authoritarianism. These forces are identified in this essay.
Communities of Heart: Conditions and Criteria
What can we learn about the nature of a vital community – a community of heart? Such a community is needed today in a world filled with many challenges and stuck in polarization and tribalism.
Issue Two: Clinical Psychology in Singapore
In this second issue we offer the first in a series of issues focusing on the perspectives and practices of professional psychologists providing services in a specific country or region–in this case the highly influential country of Singapore.
The Multi-Cultural Psychological Perspectives and Practices of Singapore
Singapore is often considered the cross-roads or intellectual and cultural hub of Southeast Asia. Although small in size and population, …
The Perfect Storm: Virus, Violence and Dysfunction
We have discovered that there might be a “perfect storm” operating at the point when these three systems interact. Pandemic virus meets race riot/police abuse meets government ineffectiveness.
Creating and Altering Rituals
No one knows exactly how forgoing shared rituals will affect us individually or as a society. However, science does give us some clues. By understanding the purpose of shared rituals, we can try to preserve their intent and create a sense of shared emotion, connection, and transcendence.
Mapping Effective Covid-19 Engagement: Four Responses to the Challenge
At times we must bring together wisdom, courage and vision—so that we might move forward personally and collectively under the guidance of a coherent and integrated map of virus-engagement.
Formulating COVID-19 Policy: A Psychological Perspective on Consideration and Compassion
Multiple perspectives are offered regarding COVID-19 policies involving commitment to both consideration and compassion, with four choices being considered in the context of systems,-based, slow thinking and polarity management.
Authority, Identification and Nationalism: The Future of Freedom in Estonia
Authoritarianism was evident in the passivity of Estonian men and women as learners and as architects of their own personal and collective futures during the early1990s. Like many Eastern European countries (and many other countries for that matter) Estonia has traditionally been ruled by authoritarian hierarchies imposed from outside. What about today?
Authoritarianism and the Escape from Freedom
The lingering ghost of authoritarianism in Eastern Europe that Berne Weiss and I identified during the early 1990s (Bergquist and Weiss, 1994) was tragically prescient. This ghost is still haunting many 21st Century countries throughout the world.