Finding a Place to Stand

Edward R. Shapiro draws on psychodynamic systems thinking to offer a new understanding of the journey from being an individual to joining society as a citizen.

What stands between us and authoritarianism seems increasingly fragile. Democratic practices are under attack by foreign intrusion into elections; voter suppression restricts citizen participation. Nations are turning to autocratic leaders in the face of rapid social change. Democratic values and open society can only be preserved if citizens can discover and claim their voices. We access society through our organisations, yet the collective voices and irrationalities of these organisations do not currently offer clear pathways for individuals to locate themselves. How can we move through the mounting chaos of our social systems, through our multiple roles in groups and institutions, to find a voice that matters? What kind of perspective will allow institutional leaders to facilitate the discovery of active citizenship and support engagement? This book draws on psychodynamic systems thinking to offer a new understanding of the journey from being an individual to joining society as a citizen. With detailed stories, the steps – and the conscious and unconscious linkages – from being a family member, to entering outside groups, to taking up and making sense of institutional roles, illuminate the process of claiming the citizen role. With the help of leaders who recognise and utilise the dynamics of social systems, there may be hope for us as citizens to use our institutional experiences to discover a place to stand.

Acknowledgments About the author Foreword Part I: Developmental Steps Toward Citizenship CHAPTER ONE Joining: How are they right? CHAPTER TWO Containment and Communication CHAPTERTHREE Making Sense of Organizational Dynamics CHAPTER FOUR The Interpretive Stance CHAPTER FIVE Taking Up a Role: A Case Example Part II: Leadership and the Self-Reflective Institution CHAPTER SIX The CEO: Developing Institutional Citizenship CHAPTER SEVEN Learning about Systems Psychodynamics CHAPTER EIGHT From Group Relations to Leadership CHAPTER NINE Shaping a Mission: Case Example CHAPTER TEN A Citizenship Laboratory CHAPTER ELEVEN Institutional Learning on Behalf of Society Part III: A Citizen in Society CHAPTER TWELVE Approaching Social Interpretation Through Institutions CHAPTER THIRTEEN Do Nations Have Missions: American Identity CHAPTER FOURTEEN Citizenship as Development CHAPTER FIFTEEN Society as a Multicellular Learning System Conclusion References Index,

Acknowledgments
About the author
Foreword

Part I: Developmental Steps Toward Citizenship

CHAPTER ONE
Joining: How are they right?

CHAPTER TWO
Containment and Communication

CHAPTER  THREE
Making Sense of Organizational Dynamics

CHAPTER FOUR
The Interpretive Stance

CHAPTER FIVE
Taking Up a Role: A Case Example

Part II: Leadership and the Self-Reflective Institution

CHAPTER SIX
The CEO: Developing Institutional Citizenship

CHAPTER SEVEN
Learning about Systems Psychodynamics

CHAPTER EIGHT
From Group Relations to Leadership

CHAPTER NINE
Shaping a Mission: Case Example

CHAPTER TEN
A Citizenship Laboratory

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Institutional Learning on Behalf of Society

Part III: A Citizen in Society

CHAPTER TWELVE
Approaching Social Interpretation Through Institutions

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Do Nations Have Missions: American Identity

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Citizenship as Development

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Society as a Multicellular Learning System

Conclusion
References
Index

• By (author) Edward R. Shapiro

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. I am grateful for the clear enunciation of ideas […] 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.

— Susan Long, 'Organisational & Social Dynamics' 22(2) (2022)

'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. [...] 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. [...] There remains much to be learned from his perspective, conceptualization of issues, as well as his vast and diverse experience.'

— Brian W. Flynn, Psychiatry, Feb 2024

This is a brilliantly realized treatment of what it means to be a citizen, and how we find our way there through the deeply personal psychological voyage we all must sail. “Finding a Place to Stand” uses 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 (2009–2013); Dean, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (2013–2018)

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. At one level, it tells the story of one individual’s own journey of discovery, as a psychiatrist keenly attuned to the social contexts in which he practices and leads. At another, it is a powerful exploration of the conscious and unconscious processes involved in finding and enabling others to find one’s own voice, as an 'internal citizen', in a family, a group, an organization, and a nation. Hugely ambitious, wonderfully accessible, its publication could scarcely be more timely

— David Armstrong, Associate Consultant, Tavistock Consulting, London

Taking off from the now familiar idea of studying “the individual in context,” Dr. Shapiro brilliantly extends this concept from the parent–child matrix, to the couple, the developing family, the group – a social or work entity – and onto the larger collectives of institutions and political cultures. The trajectory of this book also covers the four decades of Shapiro’s work experiences: in individual treatment, in hospital administration, in group dynamics, and in the study of group relations. It is an amazing ride. He is educating us so carefully in the ways that unconscious forces, splitting, and conflict, 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. A fascinating, containing guide in turbulent times.

— Adrienne Harris, Psychoanalyst, New York University, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis

Finding a Place to Stand is a psycho–socio–political tour de force – carefully, steadily, and powerfully building the case for conscious integration of our multiple human identities so that we can learn to coexist and participate as citizens in an increasingly complex and disruptive world. Dr. Shapiro draws deeply and effectively on his experiences, both as a psychiatrist and as a manager–leader, to set the stage for his exploration of the divisions in our society and his search for citizens who can bridge the divides.

— John Shattuck, Professor of Practice in Diplomacy, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (1993–1998); U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic (1998–2000)

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

'The book’s sections flow cohesively from one to the next, so the logical progression of the argument becomes clear. The author explores the complex psychological dynamics of individuals, families, groups, and organisations 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 here. The author’s observations also further understanding of the less-than-logical ways humans process their situations, something that seems intuitive only once it’s explained. [...] An observant, discerning work on understanding and improving organisations.'

— Kirkus Reviews, December, 2022

'I found Finding a Place to Stand to be a fascinating work that considers many facets of group membership and engagement [...] It provides a helpful structure for considering the vicissitudes of organizational life, emphasizing the leader's task: to listen and reflect on both voiced messages and enactments that may arise from the organizations' members.'

— Marie Rudden, The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 95:1, 167-176, 21 Jan 2026