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Learn moreSHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR
A revelatory, paradigm-shifting work from a renowned Columbia professor and “one of the great social and cultural psychologists” (Amy Cuddy) that demystifies our tribal instincts and shows us how to use them to create positive change.
Tribalism is our most misunderstood buzzword. We’ve all heard pundits bemoan its rise, and it’s been blamed for everything from political polarization to workplace discrimination. But as acclaimed cultural psychologist and Columbia professor Michael Morris argues, our tribal instincts are humanity’s secret weapon.
Ours is the only species that lives in tribes: groups glued together by their distinctive cultures that can grow to a scale far beyond clans and bands. Morris argues that our psychology is wired by evolution in three distinctive ways. First, the peer instinct to conform to what most people do. Second, the hero instinct to give to the group and emulate the most respected. And third, the ancestor instinct to follow the ways of prior generations. These tribal instincts enable us to share knowledge and goals and work as a team to transmit the accumulated pool of cultural knowledge onward to the next generation.
Countries, churches, political parties, and companies are tribes, and tribal instincts explain our loyalties to them and the hidden ways that they affect our thoughts, actions, and identities. Rather than deriding tribal impulses for their irrationality, we can recognize them as powerful levers that elevate performance, heal rifts, and set off shockwaves of cultural change.
Weaving together deep research, current and historical events, and stories from business and politics, Morris cuts across conventional wisdom to completely reframe how we think about our tribes. Bracing and hopeful, Tribal unlocks the deepest secrets of our psychology and gives us the tools to manage our misunderstood superpower.
Michael Morris works as a cultural psychologist at Columbia University in its graduate Business School and its Department of Psychology. Previously he taught for a decade at Stanford University. Morris received his PhD in psychology from the University of Michigan after earning undergraduate degrees in cognitive science and English literature at Brown University. His research has discovered cultural influences on styles of cognition, communication, and collaboration, as well as situational factors that cue them and social experiences that shift them. Outside of academia, Professor Morris advises corporations, government agencies, NGOs, and political campaigns about culture-related issues. He lives in New York City.
Michael Morris works as a cultural psychologist at Columbia University in its graduate Business School and its Department of Psychology. Previously he taught for a decade at Stanford University. Morris received his PhD in psychology from the University of Michigan after earning undergraduate degrees in cognitive science and English literature at Brown University. His research has discovered cultural influences on styles of cognition, communication, and collaboration, as well as situational factors that cue them and social experiences that shift them. Outside of academia, Professor Morris advises corporations, government agencies, NGOs, and political campaigns about culture-related issues. He lives in New York City.
Reviews
PRAISE FOR TRIBAL“A deep, timely and optimistic look at how to harness our innate tribal instincts to positive effect, rather than allowing them to divide. A fount of valuable lessons on human behavior for political leaders and chief executives.”
— Andrew Hill, Financial Time’s Best Business Books of 2024
"An anthropologist examines ways in which ingrained notions of belonging and difference can be put to work for the good…useful lessons on cultural accommodation and coexistence."
— Kirkus
“A riveting read that will challenge you to rethink your core beliefs.”
— Adam Grant, bestselling author of Hidden Potential, host of Re:Thinking, and Wharton Professor
“Provocative, useful idea. Absolutely spot-on, timely message.”
— Chip Heath, author of The Power of Moments and Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford
“Tribal challenges the conventional wisdom around culture and offers a vision for collective change that can bring about a better future for all of us.”
— Arianna Huffington, author of Thrive and founder of HuffingtonPost
“There is no future, good or bad, without tribalism. This eye-opening book will change the way you think about why we behave the way we do.”
— Scott Galloway, author of The Algebra of Wealth, Professor of Marketing, NYU
"Brilliantly, Michael Morris flips the script on the impact of tribalism in modern life.”
— Robert Cialdini, author of Influence and Pre-suasion, Professor of Psychology, Arizona State
“This original book lays bare the facts about our tribal natures and shows how the deeply human tendencies that have brought us to the precipice of disaster might still be used to save us. Penetrating, illuminating, and not to be missed!”
— Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, Professor of Psychology, Harvard
“You’ll tear through it and realize that you’ve learned something that changes your understanding of human nature, nurture, and their fascinating interplay.”
— Amy Cuddy, author of Presence, Professor, Harvard Business School
"An extremely useful guide to how cultures – from informal clubs to nation states – operate and how they can be changed."
— Richard Nisbett, author of The Geography of Thought, founder of the Culture and Cognition Program, University of Michigan
"A consummate storyteller and astute observer, Michael Morris has written a masterpiece.”
— Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness, Professor of Psychology, UC-Riverside Expand reviews
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