Our Search for Belonging: How Our Need to Connect is Tearing Us Apart

We are living in a time of mounting political segregation that threatens to tear us apart as a unified society. The result is that we are becoming increasingly tribal, and the narratives of life that we get exposed to on a daily basis have become echo chambers in which we hear our beliefs reinforced and others' beliefs demonized.

At the core of tribalism exists a paradox: as humans, we are hardwired with the need to belong, which ends up making us deeply connected with some yet deeply divided from others. When these tribes are formed out of fear of the "other," on topics such as race, immigration status, religion, or partisan politics, we resort to an "us versus them" attitude. Especially in the digital age, when we are all interconnected in one way or another, these tensions seep into our daily lives and we become secluded with our self-identified tribes. Global diversity and inclusion expert Howard J. Ross, with JonRobert Tartaglione, explores how our human need to belong is the driving force behind the increasing division of our world.

Drawing upon decades of leadership experience, Ross probes the depth of tribalism, examines the role of social media in exacerbating it, and offers tactics for how to combat it. Filled with tested practices for opening safe and honest dialogue in the workplace and challenges to confront our own tendencies to bond with those who are like us, Our Search for Belonging is a powerful statement of hope in a disquieting time.

About the Authors

Howard J. Ross is a lifelong social justice advocate and the founding partner of Cook Ross, Inc. He has consulted on the areas of corporate culture change, leadership development, and diversity and inclusion. His work has been published by the Harvard Business Review, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Forbes, and he has worked with Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. Cook Ross programs have been taught at Harvard University Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, and over twenty other colleges and universities. Ross is also the bestselling author of ReInventing Diversity and Everyday Bias.

JonRobert Tartaglione is a behavioral scientist and the CEO of Influence 51, a consulting firm that teaches its clients about the neuropsychology of influence.