Chapter 13: This Most Frenetic of Cultures

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Okay, so you've joined us for another Deep Dive, and this one is going to get you thinking differently about ADD, you know, Attention Deficit Disorder.

Yeah, for sure.

We're looking at chapter 13 from a book called This Most Frenetic of Cultures, The Social Roots of ADD.

Okay.

And just the title alone is kind of thought provoking.

But sure.

It's getting us to think about, is this just something in our brains?

Or are there things happening in our society, especially here in North America, that are playing a part?

Right.

So our mission today is kind of unpack the main arguments in this chapter.

See if it holds any surprising insights for you.

Sounds good.

Okay, so one of the first things the authors do is address some of the popular theories about what causes ADD.

Right.

And one that jumped out at me was this idea of like an adventurous gene pool.

Uh huh.

You know, like the kind of people who settled North America were inherently more restless, more risk taking, always on the go.

Makes sense.

And you know, those kind of sound like some of the traits we associate with ADD today.

Yeah, it paints a very romanticized picture, doesn't it?

Yeah, it does.

You know, this image of a nation built by, you know, energetic driven individuals.

Yeah, but then the authors bring us back down to earth a bit and say, hey, wait a minute.

Right.

A lot of the folks coming to North America weren't these lone adventurers.

You know, they were running from famine,

like the Irish potato famine or war or persecution.

Right.

So it wasn't always this go -getter spirit driving them.

It was often survival.

Right.

More desperation than anything else.

Exactly.

And the book also points out the really important fact that this whole adventurous gene pool idea ignores a huge part of the population.

Yeah.

The indigenous peoples who are already here.

Right.

And the enslaved Africans who are brought here against their will.

Exactly.

So that theory doesn't really hold water when you consider the full picture.

It really doesn't.

And then there's this other theory that gets addressed.

You know, the hunter versus farmer idea.

Okay.

Have you heard about that one?

Yeah, vaguely.

Okay.

So the idea is that folks with ADD are descended from hunters who needed to be quick, impulsive, while others came from farmers who had to be more patient and steady.

Okay.

But the chapter calls it a beautiful metaphor,

questionable genetics.

Yeah, I love that.

It sounds good on the surface, right?

Right.

Like, oh yeah, you could see the hunter being distractable.

But you really think about it.

Would someone with classic ADD traits even be a good hunter?

Not really.

You need focus.

You need to be able to plan and follow through.

Exactly.

If you're clumsy or you have a bad sense of direction, that's not going to help you bring home dinner.

Right.

It's more likely to get you lost or injured.

Right.

So the book is kind of pushing us away from these purely genetic explanations and towards something a bit more complex.

Okay.

They argue that a big factor is actually the weakening of the family unit due to all these pressures in modern society.

Interesting.

Like economics pressures.

Yeah.

You know, the need for both parents to work long hours.

Yeah.

Social pressures, constant change, and this feeling like you always have to be on the go.

Right.

And technology, you know, constantly being plugged in.

Exactly.

And they say this breakdown of the family is more pronounced in North America than other developed countries.

Wow.

That's a pretty bold statement.

It is, but they back it up with some pretty compelling evidence.

Okay.

I'm curious to hear more.

So the heart of their argument is that our brains, especially in childhood, are shaped by the environment we grew up in.

That makes sense.

And the family is like the first and most important environment for a child.

Right.

It's where you learn about relationships, emotions, how to regulate yourself.

Exactly.

And when that environment is unstable, when there's not a lot of consistency or emotional support,

that can impact how the brain develops.

And they even bring in this concept from John Bowlby called the environment of adaptedness.

Okay.

What's that?

So basically, Bowlby said that each species evolves to thrive in a particular environment.

Right.

And if that environment changes too drastically,

our behavior might not be well suited anymore.

Interesting.

So they're applying that to humans and the family.

Yeah.

They're saying that the rapid changes in our society, like the decline of community and extended family support,

the pressure on the nuclear family to do it all, that's creating an environment that's not ideal for raising kids.

That makes a lot of sense.

And they even compare miswired ADB circuits to something like heart disease.

Really?

Yeah.

Both can be seen as outcomes of an unhealthful circumstance.

That's a really interesting way to look at it.

It is.

Right.

It's not just a problem with the individual.

It's a reflection of something bigger.

So it's not just about blaming the person with ADD.

It's about looking at the system they're living in.

Exactly.

And they bring up Eric Erickson, who is a psychologist who, back in 1950, was already talking about the extreme contrasts and abrupt changes he saw in American society.

Wow.

So this isn't a new phenomenon.

Not at all.

And the authors say it's only gotten more intense since then.

Yeah, I can definitely see that.

Think about how much faster the pace of life is now compared to even 20 years ago.

Oh yeah, absolutely.

And technology has played a big role in that.

For sure.

So you have all these factors that are weakening the family unit.

Communities are less tight knit.

Extended families are often spread out.

Yeah.

Marriages are under a lot of strain.

And even within the nuclear family, there's this feeling of being constantly rushed.

Yeah, you never have enough time.

Right.

And the authors say all of that makes it really hard to be a calm and attuned parent.

That makes a lot of sense.

When you're stressed and overwhelmed, it's harder to be present and patient with your kids.

Exactly.

And they quote Robert Bly,

who talks about the rage of the unparented.

Oh, that's powerful.

Yeah.

He's talking about the anger and alienation we see in a lot of young people.

And how that might be connected to a lack of parental presence and guidance.

Exactly.

And Bly has this data showing that between 1935 and 1990, the amount of free time working men had dropped by 23 hours a week.

Wow, that's huge.

It is.

And that's time they could have been spending with their kids, you know, connecting, nurturing.

Yeah.

And it's not just about dads either.

Moms are facing the same time crunch.

And the relationship between parents suffers too.

Absolutely.

Everyone's just stretched so thin.

And that means less time for things like family meals, conversations, reading together.

Right.

All those things that help kids feel connected and secure.

Exactly.

And Bly makes this really important point about what young people need.

They need stability.

They need consistent presence,

focused attention,

reliable advice, good psychic food, he calls it.

Okay.

But when parents are too busy or stressed to provide that,

kids end up turning to each other.

Right.

Forming what he calls the sibling society.

Exactly.

And not necessarily a bad thing, but it can't fully replace what parents provide.

Right.

Peers can offer support, but they don't have the same authority or experience.

And this leads into another big point the authors make about the undervaluation of early childhood care in our society.

Okay.

You know, we have this system where both parents, especially moms, are often pushed to go back to work when their kids are still very young.

Yeah.

The economic pressure is intense.

It is.

And at the same time, there's not enough support for quality, affordable childcare.

Right.

Finding good daycare can be a nightmare, and it's so expensive.

Exactly.

And the authors argue that this is because we as a society don't truly value the importance of those early years.

We see it as just babysitting instead of a crucial time for development.

Right.

And that translates into policies that underfund and understaff child care centers.

And that means the quality of care suffers?

Yeah.

They cite developmental psychology research that shows how important it is for young kids to have consistent one -on -one interaction with a caregiver.

Especially in those first few years when the brain is developing so rapidly.

Exactly.

And that's really hard to do when you have one caregiver responsible for multiple infants or toddlers.

Right.

They give the example of New York State where the regulations allow up to seven toddlers per caregiver.

It's hard to imagine anyone being able to provide the kind of individual attention a toddler needs with that ratio.

Yeah.

It sounds more like crowd control than caregiving.

It does.

And that's not to say that all daycare workers aren't dedicated and caring.

Of course not.

But the system itself is set up in a way that makes it really difficult to provide the ideal kind of care.

Right.

We're not giving them the resources or the support they need to do their jobs well.

Exactly.

And the chapter goes on to say that the best situation for young kids is one -on -one attuned parenting.

Okay.

But they're very clear that this is not about telling women to stay home and give up their careers.

Yeah.

That's important to emphasize.

Absolutely.

They even talk about the second nine months of gestation referring to the breastfeeding period and how it might be natural for the birth mother to be the primary caregiver during that time.

Because of the intense bonding and the need for frequent feeding.

Right.

But they stress that this doesn't exclude women from having careers or men from being equally involved parents.

Right.

It's about finding a balance that works for each family.

And the key is that mothering, that sensitive attuned nurturing, that's a skill that anyone can learn and provide.

Exactly.

It's not tied to gender.

And they tie this into the feminist argument for equality.

Okay.

How so?

Because often the burden of childcare and emotional labor falls disproportionately on women.

Yeah.

That's true.

Even in families where both parents work.

Right.

And that can have negative effects on women's mental health and also on child development.

Yeah.

It creates a lot of stress and resentment.

Exactly.

They even bring in Dorothy Dinerstein, who argued that this female monopoly of early childcare can distort development for both boys and girls.

Hmm.

That's interesting.

So the point isn't to go back to traditional gender roles.

It's about recognizing the vital importance of early nurturing.

And a society that supports both parents in providing that care.

Exactly.

They say we need to make it easier for both moms and dads to be actively involved.

Right.

Through things like paid parental leave, affordable childcare, flexible work arrangements.

Exactly.

And they even suggest that investing in early childhood care could have long -term economic benefits.

How so?

Well, if we raise healthier, happier, more well -adjusted kids, that could lead to less social dysfunction, less crime,

less need for expensive interventions.

Okay.

That makes sense.

And a more productive workforce overall.

So it's really an investment in the future.

Yeah.

It's a shift in perspective from seeing childcare as a private burden to a societal responsibility.

Exactly.

But then they contrast this ideal with the reality of our current system.

Right.

Where working women are often penalized for taking time off to care for their kids.

Yeah.

You can lose your job or miss out on promotions.

And for men, the idea of taking a significant break for childcare is still seen as pretty radical.

It's not even considered a possibility in many professions.

Right.

And then you have the lack of truly high -quality, affordable daycare options for working parents.

Yeah.

And for low -income women in the US, the welfare system can actually make it harder to access good childcare.

It's a real catch -22.

And this all leads into the chapter's discussion of what they call the ADDogenic culture.

ADDogenic culture.

Yeah.

It's symptoms in all of us.

Okay.

How so?

Well, they quote Halliwell and Rady, who say that American culture tends to create ADD -like symptoms in all of us.

Hmm.

That's interesting.

And they introduce this concept of pseudo -ADD.

Pseudo -ADD?

Yeah.

It's where people exhibit behaviors that look like ADD because of the constant stimulation and overwhelm of our culture.

But they don't actually have the underlying neurological wiring of true ADD.

Right.

It's like the environment is training us to be distractible and impatient.

Okay.

I can see that.

And they list all these hallmarks of American culture that contribute to this.

Like the fast pace of life, the constant sound bites and quick cuts in media.

Right.

Always got to be on the go.

Got to get to the point quickly.

Exactly.

The bottom line mentality.

Yeah.

Efficiency above all else.

The high levels of stimulation everywhere you go.

Screens everywhere.

Ads billboards.

And this constant sense of restlessness, like you're always supposed to be doing something.

Yeah.

Never enough time to just be.

And they even say that some ADD -driven behaviors might actually be seen as desirable in this kind of culture.

Really?

Yeah.

Like being able to multitask, quickly shifting focus, being adaptable to change.

Hmm.

So it's like the culture rewards some of the very traits that can be challenging for people with ADD.

Exactly.

And then they bring up a really interesting example, Sesame Street.

Okay.

They say that Sesame Street was actually created as a response to the attention difficulties of inner city children.

Really?

I never thought about it that way.

Yeah.

A lot of those kids were likely experiencing ADD -like symptoms due to poverty and stressful family environments.

Makes sense.

So the creators of Sesame Street designed it with those kids in mind.

Okay.

They used a warm and engaging environment, but they also used short vignettes,

catchy sound bites.

Right.

To keep the kids engaged.

Exactly.

So it was a way to use the medium of television, which some might say contributes to shorter attention spans.

Yeah.

To try and reach kids who are already struggling to focus.

That's really clever.

And then they contrast that with the media landscape today.

Which is even more fast -paced and fragmented.

Exactly.

They point out how news programs and interviews used to be much longer and more in depth.

Yeah.

Now it's all sound bites and rapid cuts.

And even if you don't have ADD, it's hard to wonder if being constantly bombarded with that kind of stimulation is affecting our ability to focus.

Yeah.

It's like our brains are being rewired to expect constant novelty and instant gratification.

And the chapter even suggests that television programmers now assume that everyone has a short attention span.

Wow.

So we're all being treated like we have ADD whether we actually do or not.

It's kind of a self -fulfilling prophecy, isn't it?

It is.

And it's not a very encouraging thought.

No, it's not.

And the chapter ends with a quote from Martin Walker, who called American society this most frenetic of cultures.

Which sums it up pretty well.

It does.

And the author's prediction is that we're going to see even more ADD in the coming decades if these trends continue.

So it's not just about individual brains.

It's about the environment we're creating.

Exactly.

So to kind of wrap up this deep dive, the big takeaway from this chapter is that the individual differences, it could be a sign that our society itself is becoming less and less conducive to healthy child development.

And that the pressures on families are creating an environment where it's harder for kids to thrive.

Exactly.

And while there might be a genetic component for some individuals,

the authors are really emphasizing the power of the environment, especially in those crucial early years.

Because our brains are so malleable at that age.

Exactly.

So as we end,

I want to leave you with this thought.

Take a look at your own life and the lives of the families around you.

How is the pace and the pressure of our culture affecting your ability to focus, to be present, to connect with your kids?

It's a really important question to ask ourselves.

It is because we might be unintentionally creating the very conditions that lead to more ADD and other challenges.

So it's not just about treating the symptoms, it's about addressing the root causes.

Exactly.

And that means looking at the big picture at how we structure our society, our workplaces, our support systems.

Right.

And asking ourselves what kind of world we want to create for our children.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Food for thought as we navigate this most frenetic of cultures.

Absolutely.

Thanks for joining us for this deep dive.

It's been a pleasure.