Coaching in the modern world, at the sunset of the family tribe
Posted on February 27, 2023 by Gila Cohen Kropf, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
The opportunities that the modern world offer, the consequences of leaving the family tribe and the role of coaching in this new set up
Internet, social media, globalization, relocations, multicultural, a wide variety of education, private and professional excellence, access to global news…
Modern life offers a beautiful bouquet, full of opportunities for development and growth.
Yet, m o d e r n l i f e can be challenging for many individuals. But why?
In this article, I would like to focus on the d e c l i n e of the traditional family ‘tribe’ in the modern world and the role of c o a c h i n g in supporting people who cope with difficulties away from their families and their home countries.
For thousands of years, the f a m i l y t r i b e has played a central role in human’s society. It provided support, identity, sense of belonging and safety for its members. Globalization and other o p p o r t u n i t i e s have enabled life beyond the ‘vicinity’ of the traditional f a m i l y, far away from parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles and other distant relatives. The m o d e r n w o r l d is wide open for traveling, international marriage, relocations and more. The feeling is great, a sense of real freedom. But still, something is missing or maybe some things…
This wide-open world, powered by rapid changes, uncertainty, and complexity, can be difficult process and many people feel lost, detached and miss a sense of connection to others. Additionally, the pursuit of happiness is illusive and elusive and at times results in stress, anxiety, and social isolation. Adding to this the toxic positivity that our society enforces on some, people struggle with mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. Lacking the support from the immediate family cycle, sometimes away from home, people may feel overwhelmed by the challenges of modern life, leading to a range of physical and psychological health problems.
The s u n s e t of the family t r i b e has also led to social and economic challenges that are affecting people in different ways. Away from the security of the family, oftentimes working for the family business, people are struggling with financial insecurity.
In the wake of these changes, c o a c h i n g next to self-care emerges as a necessary supportive element to people. It complements that work of therapists on the journey to attend to mental health , which is necessary for the development and growth processes a coachee goes through. The coach offers a non-judgmental space for the coached person to share their beliefs, thoughts, fears and concerns. It constitutes a systematic approach to encourage self-thinking and objective setting. Accountability and responsibility are being sharpened and reaching goals is celebrated on the way to progression and independency. A coach may never be a substitute to the warm and secure family t r i b e but can offer systematic and structure way of listening and at the same time problem-solving to many of us, living in the m o d e r n w o r l d.
