The partisan divide in the United States has widened to a chasm.
Legislators vote along party lines and rarely cross the aisle. Political
polarization is personal, too--and it is making us miserable. Surveys
show that Americans have become more fearful and hateful of supporters
of the opposing political party and imagine that they hold much more
extreme views than they actually do. We have cordoned ourselves off: we
prefer to date and marry those with similar opinions and are less
willing to spend time with people on the other side. How can we loosen
the grip of this toxic polarization and start working on our most
pressing problems?
The Way Out offers an escape from this morass. The social psychologist
Peter T. Coleman explores how conflict resolution and complexity science
provide guidance for dealing with seemingly intractable political
differences. Deploying the concept of attractors in dynamical systems,
he explains why we are stuck in this rut as well as the unexpected ways
that deeply rooted oppositions can and do change. Coleman meticulously
details principles and practices for navigating and healing the
difficult divides in our homes, workplaces, and communities, blending
compelling personal accounts from his years of working on entrenched
conflicts with lessons from leading-edge research. The Way Out is a
vital and timely guide to breaking free from the cycle of mutual
contempt in order to better our lives, relationships, and country.
