Backyard Politics dives deep into the philosophical and societal divide between two opposing ideological camps, Protectors and Promoters, exploring these contrasting views and addressing topics such as freedom of speech, poverty, racism, and family dynamics. Where did the idea for this book come from, and how did it develop over time?

I have been a practicing Psychologist for 45 years. Over this period of time, I noticed a pattern. Namely, that some people seem to focus on blaming others or some other external factor for their problems. In contrast, other people seem more willing to recognize that their actions contribute to their struggles. Likewise, I noticed that when people are having political debates, the same two patterns occur. One side faults external factors in society that devastate individuals and groups, while the other side emphasizes that some people and groups may behave in ways that relate to their misfortunes.

How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?

For many authors, and in my case as well, a book project generally takes about two years to complete. Due to my decades of clinical practice, I already had a sense of the ways in which individuals and families behave. So when I started to write, content related to politics occupied my most of my time. In my endeavors, I identified seminal political, economic, and sociological books and articles, and I listened to podcasts that represented differing views and explanations for society’s ills.

Once again, I noticed that one side focused on changing external factors to remove hardship, while the other side focused on remediating the ways in which people adapt and cope with their individual and social problems. One side argued to protect people by providing relief, while the other side wanted people to learn new behaviors so that they could promote their own well-being. However, lessons learned in clinical practice taught me that both ways of helping can be beneficial depending on the problem and circumstance.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

We all start out helpless and completely dependent on others to rescue us, but over time, we must learn to establish self-sufficiency. As they say, birds must eventually fly out of the nest. The problem is to find a viable way to protect each other without sacrificing opportunities to facilitate competence so that we enhance our survival and are skillful enough to help each other when necessary. Family life, school, and the workplace are primary ways that must address this intricate problem, and when the two helping strategies are out of kilter, we all struggle more. As an alternative to a popular proverb; we must identify times when people need a fish, as well as identify those times when they could benefit from learning how to fish.

What is one thing that people point out after reading your book that surprises you?

I was surprised how often people are unaware of the inside ↔ outside dynamic that seems so prevalent when we are trying to resolve our intimate and less familiar relationships, and/or struggles to achieve. However, once people recognize this way of conceptualizing political and social difficulties, they realize that the problem is to find an acceptable way to both protect those who suffer as well as promote essential new learning, as ignoring either one is likely to result in a diminishment of positive results. People then see that the rigidity of our political and social divide is an obstacle to success, and that exposing children to only one side of the dynamic will only perpetuate society’s breakdown.   

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