Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It

Steele, a social psychologist and bestselling author of Whistling Vivaldi, delivers a captivating follow-up to that volume’s groundbreaking scholarship on the psychology of stereotypes. Beginning with what he sees as the core problem of social life, the inevitable “tension... between races, ethnicities, genders, [and] social classes” that arises “as we live and work together” and can lead to vicious cycles of increasing factionalism—a phenomenon he calls “churn”—the author offers a guide to overcoming such divisions through the conscientious practice of “trust-building.” Noting that many institutions in America have taken it upon themselves to promote diversity and reduce stratification but have sometimes failed to achieve results, Steele suggests that early on there was an over-emphasis on self and “identity,” and instead posits that true diversity requires allowing “others to tell me how they’d like to be seen” and openness to learning more about one another. Drawing on his own and others’ scholarship and a host of case studies, he makes a powerful argument for “trust” as the fundamental missing element both to diversity efforts and in American society at large. The methods he recommends are built around instructive questioning and listening to others, and tend to propose offering practical, concrete assistance to others as a show of “good faith”—or, as he pithily admonishes: “Render real help.” It adds up to an elegant, concise, and moving suggestion that a little kindness would go a very long way.