Understanding and Reducing the Impact of Political Polarization on Families
In the U.S., divisions between Democrats and Republicans over political values have reached record levels, according to the Pew Research Center. Through this political polarization, people on one political side often see the other side not just as wrong and misguided, but as ill-motivated and threatening.
To combat this issue, NCFR Fellow Bill Doherty, Ph.D., cofounded Better Angels, a citizen initiative that brings together people of conservative and liberal political ideologies to counteract political polarization. Dr. Doherty has brought ideas from the Family Science discipline into his work with Better Angels and applied the ideas to a wide-reaching societal issue.
This webinar is intended to help family professionals and scholars learn about the issue of political polarization and how to address it within professional organizations and within families. Many in Family Science have not yet examined and may not know how to examine the issue of political polarization in a systematic way, resulting in issues that persist within families, organizations, and communities.
During the webinar, you'll learn from Dr. Doherty about:
- trends in and sources of political polarization;
- effects of polarization on families and communities;
- family-specific skills for coping with and counteracting polarization (e.g., acknowledging before responding, listening for common ground); and
- ways to get involved in local and national efforts to counteract polarization.
Webinar Objectives
As a result of attending the webinar, participants will be able to:
- identify the major sources of political polarization in the U.S.;
- describe the effects of political polarization on families and society; and
- discuss and learn ways to counteract polarization within families, organizations, and society
Intended Audience
- College instructors, university professors, students
- Certified Family Life Educators (CFLEs)
- Those interested in policy
- Professionals with nonprofit organizations
- Any individual interested in learning about these issues
Approved for 1.5 hours of CFLE continuing education credit.
What Attendees Said About This Webinar:
"Excellent presentation. I will be using this material to help patients at my job and may also use it for employee training."
"Dr. Doherty provided very valuable and timely information on a topic that is of great concern to our country and to our families."
About the Presenter
Bill Doherty, Ph.D., is an NCFR Fellow, former NCFR president, and professor in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota, where he directs The Citizen Professional Center. Following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, he cofounded Better Angels, a citizen initiative bringing conservatives and liberals together to counteract political polarization. Better Angels now has volunteers working in 45 states. Among Dr. Doherty's awards is the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Family Therapy Academy.
On-Demand Webinar Recording and Classroom Use
Even if you can't watch this webinar live, your registration will still grant you access to watch the recording at your convenience.
Classroom and departmental use licenses allow faculty members to share the video in class or embed the video in their online learning management system. Departmental use licenses allow more than on faculty to use the webinar in their class. We request that links or downloads are not shared with students.
License for classroom use by one professor is available for $129 for NCFR members, $199 for nonmembers.
License for departmental use (multiple professors) is available for $179 NCFR member / $319 nonmember.
Departmental license for CFLE-approved programs is $149.
