The Littleton, Colorado shooting is just one incident that shows why psychotherapists must study and treat the emotions that allow connection, cause social discord, and encourage violence. The media tells us that our world is falling apart.
Tiny children kill classmates with guns that are too easily available to irresponsible homes.
Teachers lose hope of maintaining order in their classes. Disgruntled employees murder supervisors and co-workers. Incivility, sexual hedonism, rowdiness, drug use, and contempt for authority are now considered normative behavior. In response to the national attention to visible and highly publicized episodes of school violence, programs have sprung up everywhere as good people attempt to make their world better. The Tomkins Institute's Colloquium 2000 offers a fresh look at these disturbing issues.