E pluribus unum: Our Diversity Is Our Source

Abstract

It seems like everywhere we turn these days, someone is talking about the topic of diversity, and we think this is a very good development in our society. Just a quick search of the literature surrounding “diversity” reveals that diversity enjoys a diverse audience ranging from nursing (Benton, 2009) to public administration (Lewis, 2011) to orchestras (Schweitzer, 2014) to European football (Maderer, Holtbrügge, & Schuster, 2014) to American cuisine (Andriani, 2010). Diversity is becoming ever more diverse. America’s national motto, e pluribus unum (“Out of many, one”), was adopted in 1776, and although many believe it refers to a single nation arising out of 13 colonies or states, it originated out of the original proposal for a national seal, a proposal that was not adopted but included the symbols for the 6 “Countries from which these States have been peopled” (MacArthur, 2015). For those who care to know, the 6 countries were England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Holland, and Germany. Though the seal was not adopted, the motto was and we have seen it on our money ever since. Learning about our differences helps us to respect, if not embrace, those around us. In working with and helping those with addictions, we serve a diverse group of people, we serve alongside diverse practitioners, and we serve through diverse means and methods. This issue of Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery takes diversity as its theme. In these pages, you will find articles from scholars in Finland, Norway, France, England, and the United States. They report on work they have been doing with clientele who are as varied as Al-Anon members in Finland to American Indians in the Northern United States. Treatments range from residential addiction treatment to peer support self-help groups to psychotherapy. We are excited to present such a diverse array of knowledge for our journal readers in this issue. Kuuluvainen and Isotalus provide a thematic analysis of the association between supportive communication and the helping mechanisms of Al-Anon support groups. Their investigation reveals six mechanisms across two levels of supportive communication. Johansen, Ness, and Wennesland present an explanatory case study focused on leadership processes in self-help programs. In contrast to 12-step programs, this study looks at a professionally led self-help program in Norway and draws comparisons between the top-down leadership model of the Norwegian program and the peer-led processes of Alcoholics Anonymous and similar 12-step programs.