The Center for Attachment Research at The New School for Social Research invites you to attend a book launch celebrating Dr. Kenneth Barish's book Bridging Our Political Divide: How Liberals and Conservatives Can Understand Each Other and Find Common Ground.
Â
Respectful and constructive dialogue is vanishing from American political life. Among the many urgent problems facing American society today, we need to be able to listen and talk with each other constructively, with less hostility and contempt.
In this talk, Dr. Barish will offer a brief explanation of our political differences - why we continue to disagree about fundamental issues of American life. He will then describe eight principles of constructive dialogue and reasoned debate - alternatives and antidotes to the angry, repetitive, and unproductive arguments that now dominate American political culture. Dr. Barish will describe a way of listening, thinking, and talking about political differences that allows us, more often, to understand each other's concerns and then, when we continue to disagree, even when we firmly believe that our opponents are wrong, to discuss our disagreements with greater civility and respect.
Presented by the Center for Attachment Research at The New School for Social Research.
Ken Barish earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from the New School in 1980.
He is Clinical Professor of Psychology at Weill - Cornell Medicine and Visiting Professor at Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, China. He is on the faculty of the Westchester Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy and the William Alanson White Institute Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training
Program. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a member of Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy.
Committed to amplifying diverse voices, The New School offers more than a thousand public programs and events each year, providing fresh perspectives and unique learning opportunities. These lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and performances feature prominent and emerging artists, activists, and thought leaders. Be sure to visit our Events Calendar to see the full roster.
Â
To receive updates about public programs and events at The New School, subscribe to our mailing list. Visit our Livestream and YouTube channels to watch select events live and recorded.
Ken Barish earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from the New School in 1980.
He is Clinical Professor of Psychology at Weill - Cornell Medicine and Visiting Professor at Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, China. He is on the faculty of the Westchester Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy and the William Alanson White Institute Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training Program. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, a member of Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy.
Ken is the author of several books, including How To Be A Better Child
Therapist: An Integrative Model for Therapeutic Change (W. W. Norton, 2016) and Bridging Our Political Divide: How Liberals and Conservatives Can Understand Each Other and Find Common Ground (Routledge, 2024). Bridging Our Political Divide is the winner of the 2025 International Book Award for Current Events.
Ken's newest book, The Art and Science of Parenting and Grandparenting, will
be published by Routledge this summer.
In addition to his teaching, writing, and clinical practice, Ken plays jazz trumpet.
