Dr. Ed Shapiro | Finding a Place to Stand

Shapiro's goal is both noble and formidable to enhance the development of active citizens in order to shape institutions in the direction of shared goals and participation and away from chaos and authoritarianism. In the fragmented and conflict-ridden world of today, he acknowledges that this is an extremely difficult task, and his book suggests ways of understanding these complex dynamics.
His methodology is to help readers understand the relationships between early family experiences and how these are carried forward in organizations, institutions (which he describes as, "...a waystation into society.") and as active citizens.

Shapiro suggests a question that forms a useful context for beginning the process. "How are they right?" This approach opens one to listening, finding ways to identify with the other, thinking, and not diminishing the positions of others. The basic tone and voice of the book is reflective of the author's acknowledged and firm psychoanalytic grounding. This is a book that is designed to promote insight (not unlike psychoanalysis). This is not a how-to book. It does a masterful job in presenting rich material in a way that promotes understanding of, and relationships among, seeming disconnected elements. It connects the dots. It provides guidance on what can and needs to be done.

Psychiatry

Interpersonal and Biological Processes
87:1, 101-103, 2024. DOI: 10.1080/00332747.2024.2308478

“It is a far-reaching book in terms of the expressed desire to help bring about greater participatory democracy. It is a helpful book through its illustration of how to do this at many levels—in the family, in organisations, and in society. In many places it redefines how we think about issues such as mental health, maturity, leadership, and citizenship. I am grateful for the accessibility of the writing and the storytelling that brings it alive. This is an important read. It brings forward
the ways in which self-reflective practice, in taking up a place for one’s voice, listening to others, and finding important commonalities can lead to a true democracy.”

Organisational and Social Dynamics

Journal of OPUS

“An in-depth examination of the ‘psychology of citizenship’. Shapiro addresses a subject that has vast implications for individuals and organizational leaders… He methodically analyzes human connections in the broadest sense of the word …[and] explores the complex psychological dynamics of individuals, families, groups, and organizations in lucid writing free of medical and scientific jargon. Throughout, Shapiro cites pertinent examples and includes anecdotes, each of which aptly illustrates a key point. These stories, whether they are about individuals in families, patients in hospitals, or employees in companies, all serve to enrich the theories presented. An observant, discerning work on understanding and improving organizations.”

Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"A brilliantly realized treatment of what it means to be a citizen, using cutting edge behavioral science, clear and cogent story-telling and a deep understanding of the human condition to create a book that should be on every citizen's nightstand."

Admiral James Stavridis

USN (ret); Supreme Allied Commander at NATO; Dean, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University

"If 'what the hell is going on' is something you struggle with, read this book. It offers an alternative to the impotent rage or deadening apathy we can feel in our organizations, systems, and society. Dr. Shapiro responds to our desperate need to find our voice and a place to stand, as we join a higher purpose than ourselves."

Dwight Jewson

CEO, Strategic Frameworking

"A psycho-socio-political tour de force, building the case for conscious integration of our multiple human identities so that we can learn to participate as citizens in an increasingly complex and disruptive world."

John Shattuck

Former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

“Dr. Shapiro’s timely book is a vital antidote against the currents of fear, anxiety and paralysis that are prone to sweep us away in the political and social landscape of today.”

Stephen Taylor, M.D.

“... follows the paths through which we move from family to institutional life and how through the complexities and chaos of our multiple roles, we might find a voice for the future of our institutions, not as rigid entities caught in unconscious unworked dilemmas that imprison us but, as vital social systems where our living moments might find fruitful purpose, meaning and expression.”

Susan Long

Director of Research and Scholarship, National Institute of Organizational Dynamics Australia

“This wonderfully engaging, insightful book speaks directly to the crises we face today. Dr. Shapiro presents concrete, constructive steps that we can take — as individuals, institutions and a country — to find a voice that will enable us to live and act together effectively as democratic citizens. Read this book! In a time of confusion and uncertainty, fear and despair, it will give you hope and a way forward.”

Thomas A. Kohut

Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Professor of History Williams College

“Dr. Shapiro is educating us so carefully in the ways that unconscious forces at every level of social organization, impede and shape our individual and social capacities. Read this book as an individual, as a practitioner, but above all as a citizen!”

Adrienne Harris

Psychoanalyst, New York University

“Dr. Shapiro teaches how to speak to mission and thus lead, a prospect that empowers every citizen to make a difference in the organizations, countries and societies of which they are a part.”

Dr. Michael Groat

Psychoanalyst, New York University

“This is a book about close listening to and learning from experience within and across the social frames in which we live, grow, work, and relate. It is a powerful exploration of the processes involved in finding and enabling others to find one’s own voice in a family, a group, an organization, and a nation. Hugely ambitious, wonderfully accessible, its publication could scarcely be more timely.”

David Armstrong

Tavistock Consulting, London

“As we face profound social, economic, and environmental challenges, many of the institutions we rely upon to address them are at the breaking point. We are left with a fragmented world, disengaged citizenry, polarization, and the shadow of authoritarianism. This book offers a hopeful way of reconnecting to one another, revitalizing the importance of citizenship, and resisting the drift towards authoritarianism. Dr. Shapiro shines a light on how we can do so and reclaim the best of our democratic practices.”

Dr. James Krantz

CEO, WorkLab