--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I will begin by describing the nature of…" description: "\"“I will begin by describing the nature of an emotional regression and showing how in any society, no matter how advanced its state of technology, chron..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/edwin-h-friedman-25568_american-family_i-will-begin-by-describing-the-nature-of_951870.jpg" --- # I will begin by describing the nature of an emotional… ![“I will begin by describing the nature of an emotional regression and showing how in any society, no matter how advanced its state of technology, chronic anxiety can induce an approach to life that is counter-evolutionary. One does not need dictators in order to create a totalitarian (that, is…” quote by Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/edwin-h-friedman-25568_american-family_i-will-begin-by-describing-the-nature-of_951870.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/edwin-h-friedman-25568_american-family_i-will-begin-by-describing-the-nature-of_951870.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/edwin-h-friedman-25568_american-family_i-will-begin-by-describing-the-nature-of_951870.jpg) > ““I will begin by describing the nature of an emotional regression and showing how in any society, no matter how advanced its state of technology, chronic anxiety can induce an approach to life that is counter-evolutionary. One does not need dictators in order to create a totalitarian (that, is totalistic) society. Then, employing five characteristics of chronically anxious personal families, I will illustrate how those same characteristics are manifest throughout the greater American family today, demonstrating their regressive effects on the thinking and functioning, the formation and the expression, of leadership among parents and presidents. Those five characteristics are:    1. Reactivity: the vicious cycle of intense reactions of each member to events and to one another.    2. Herding: a process through which the forces for togetherness triumph over the forces for individuality and move everyone to adapt to the least mature members.    3. Blame displacement: an emotional state in which family members focus on forces that have victimized them rather than taking responsibility for their own being and destiny.    4. A quick-fix mentality: a low threshold for pain that constantly seeks symptom relief rather than fundamental change.    5. Lack of well-differentiated leadership: a failure of nerve that both stems from and contributes to the first four. To”” [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chronic anxiety drives societies toward counter‑evolutionary, totalitarian behaviors, reflected in family dynamics and leadership. **In simple terms:** Anxiety can make societies and and rigid. Key Takeaway Recognize and address anxiety to prevent regressive patterns. Themes anxiety family dynamics leadership societal regression totalitarianism Mood concerned analytical critical Type observational diagnostic When to use this quote - parenting - organizational leadership - policy making - mental health interventions - community building Key Concepts reactivity herding blame displacement quick‑fix mentality lack of differentiated leadership Questions to Reflect On - How does anxiety shape your decision‑making? - What steps can foster differentiated leadership? A Different Perspective Anxiety alone cannot explain all societal issues; structural factors also matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-family/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-members/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Taking responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-responsibility/) [X men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/x-men/) ## Related quotes > [“Those five characteristics are:    1. Reactivity: the vicious cycle of intense reactions of each member to events and to one another.    2. Herding: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/those-five-characteristics-are-1-reactivity-the-vicious-cycle-of/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“Members of highly reactive families, therefore, wind up constantly focused on the latest, most immediate crisis, and they remain almost totally incapable of gaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/members-of-highly-reactive-families-therefore-wind-up-constantly/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“By the term regression I mean to convey something far more profound than a mere loss of progress. Societal regression is about the perversion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/by-the-term-regression-i-mean-to-convey-something-far-more-profound/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [There is no institution more vital to our Nation's survival than the American family. 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When I was a kid, our family was so poor they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-woo/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-so-much-help-from-the-church-when-i-was-a-kid/) [John Woo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-woo/) > [The truth is that family values, as used by the American Family Association, Dan Quayle, and the southern Baptists, has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-sullivan/the-truth-is-that-family-values-as-used-by-the-american-family/) Morris Sullivan > [We had a very upwardly mobile economy, and that peaked around the 1950s when the typical middle-class American family consisted of a father with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/we-had-a-very-upwardly-mobile-economy-and-that-peaked-around-the/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [“...when President Clinton, on the anniversary of his election, spoke in the church in Tennessee where Martin Luther King, Jr., had delivered his last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/when-president-clinton-on-the-anniversary-of-his-election-spoke-in/) [Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/) > [I was completely naive about the business of being an actor. My family didn't go to the theater or to the movies. We watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-was-completely-naive-about-the-business-of-being-an-actor-my-family/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Now we have black and white elected officials working together. Today, we have gone beyond just passing laws. Now we have to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/now-we-have-black-and-white-elected-officials-working-together-today/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [“We are taken through the pursuit of the American dream, the establishment of the American family, and a smattering of suspense and intrigue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-allgire/we-are-taken-through-the-pursuit-of-the-american-dream-the/) Nikita Allgire > [To my way of thinking, the American family started to decline when parents began to communicate with their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/to-my-way-of-thinking-the-american-family-started-to-decline-when/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [“At the very same time that we witnessed the explosion of white celebrity moms, and the outpouring of advice to a surveillance of middle-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-douglas/at-the-very-same-time-that-we-witnessed-the-explosion-of-white/) [Susan J. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-j-douglas/) > [We want American families to feel more confident in life. We want the next generation to know that yes, the best days of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/we-want-american-families-to-feel-more-confident-in-life-we-want-the/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More by Edwin H. Friedman > [“It may be in the ubiquitous phenomenon of terrorism that one can most easily see how universal emotional processes transcend the conventional categories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/it-may-be-in-the-ubiquitous-phenomenon-of-terrorism-that-one-can-most/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“The more my perspective broadened, the more confirmed I became in my view that contemporary leadership dilemmas have less to do with the specificity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/the-more-my-perspective-broadened-the-more-confirmed-i-became-in-my/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“By the term regression I mean to convey something far more profound than a mere loss of progress. Societal regression is about the perversion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/by-the-term-regression-i-mean-to-convey-something-far-more-profound/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change. Communication does not depend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/the-colossal-misunderstanding-of-our-time-is-the-assumption-that/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“The focus on “need fulfillment” that so often accompanies an emphasis on empathy leaves out the possibility that what another may really “need” (in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/the-focus-on-need-fulfillment-that-so-often-accompanies-an-emphasis/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“Although the social science construction of reality tends to emphasize how families differ from one another, I began to see that knowledge of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/although-the-social-science-construction-of-reality-tends-to/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“It was then, after my presentations to thirty-two generals, that I first began to see how similar the approach to leadership problems was throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/it-was-then-after-my-presentations-to-thirty-two-generals-that-i/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“Those five characteristics are:    1. Reactivity: the vicious cycle of intense reactions of each member to events and to one another.    2. Herding: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/those-five-characteristics-are-1-reactivity-the-vicious-cycle-of/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“Chronic anxiety is systemic; it is deeper and more embracing than community nervousness. Rather than something that resides within the psyche of each one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/chronic-anxiety-is-systemic-it-is-deeper-and-more-embracing-than/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“the extent we function and grow within the context of our own souls (a lifetime project) and abet the emergence of our own selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/the-extent-we-function-and-grow-within-the-context-of-our-own-souls-a/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“In 1970, an experiment was conducted in a French laboratory in which two organisms from the same species that had not developed immune systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/in-1970-an-experiment-was-conducted-in-a-french-laboratory-in-which/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“The second attribute of imaginatively gridlocked relationship systems is a continual search for new answers to old questions rather than an effort to reframe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/the-second-attribute-of-imaginatively-gridlocked-relationship-systems/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“One of the most extraordinary examples of adaptation to immaturity in contemporary American society today is how the word abusive has replaced the words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/one-of-the-most-extraordinary-examples-of-adaptation-to-immaturity-in/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“I want to stress that by well-differentiated leader I do not mean an autocrat who tells others what to do or orders them around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/i-want-to-stress-that-by-well-differentiated-leader-i-do-not-mean-an/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) > [“Explaining families and institutions in terms of the nature of their parts, I began to think, was like trying to reduce chemistry to physics.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman/explaining-families-and-institutions-in-terms-of-the-nature-of-their/) [Edwin H. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) [Explore all 23 Edwin H. Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman/) ## More American family quotes > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [We want American families to feel more confident in life. 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Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-j-douglas/) > [To my way of thinking, the American family started to decline when parents began to communicate with their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/to-my-way-of-thinking-the-american-family-started-to-decline-when/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [“We are taken through the pursuit of the American dream, the establishment of the American family, and a smattering of suspense and intrigue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-allgire/we-are-taken-through-the-pursuit-of-the-american-dream-the/) Nikita Allgire > [Now we have black and white elected officials working together. Today, we have gone beyond just passing laws. Now we have to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/now-we-have-black-and-white-elected-officials-working-together-today/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [I was completely naive about the business of being an actor. My family didn't go to the theater or to the movies. We watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-was-completely-naive-about-the-business-of-being-an-actor-my-family/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [“...when President Clinton, on the anniversary of his election, spoke in the church in Tennessee where Martin Luther King, Jr., had delivered his last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/when-president-clinton-on-the-anniversary-of-his-election-spoke-in/) [Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/) > [We had a very upwardly mobile economy, and that peaked around the 1950s when the typical middle-class American family consisted of a father with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/we-had-a-very-upwardly-mobile-economy-and-that-peaked-around-the/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [The truth is that family values, as used by the American Family Association, Dan Quayle, and the southern Baptists, has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-sullivan/the-truth-is-that-family-values-as-used-by-the-american-family/) Morris Sullivan > [When I was a kid I got so much help from the Church. 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One does not need dictators in order to create a totalitarian (that, is totalistic) society. Then, employing five characteristics of chronically anxious personal families, I will illustrate how those same characteristics are manifest throughout the greater American family today, demonstrating their regressive effects on the thinking and functioning, the formation and the expression, of leadership among parents and presidents. Those five characteristics are:    1. Reactivity: the vicious cycle of intense reactions of each member to events and to one another.    2. Herding: a process through which the forces for togetherness triumph over the forces for individuality and move everyone to adapt to the least mature members.    3. Blame displacement: an emotional state in which family members focus on forces that have victimized them rather than taking responsibility for their own being and destiny.    4. 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