Rob Henderson will be speaking at an event at Bill Gates Sr. House next Friday
Knowledge alone isn’t enough. For children, having a stable environment with two parents who implement rules, provide attentive care, and cultivate a sense of security goes a long way.
Rob Henderson
Gates Cambridge Scholar Rob Henderson will be speaking about his best-selling memoir Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class at an event at Bill Gates Sr. House next Friday [4th October].
The book, published by Simon & Schuster, tells of Rob’s journey from foster care to the military to academia and explores questions about social class, status, education and ‘luxury beliefs’ – the beliefs of middle class elites which, when put into practice, often have a damaging impact on those who are less socially advantaged.
In his book Rob talks about the emotional disadvantage often faced by children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He thinks too much attention is focused on education and upward social mobility. “There is no discussion of trauma, neglect, feelings of worthlessness and stressful interpersonal relationships that accompany an already impoverished upbringing,” he writes. “Knowledge alone isn’t enough. For children, having a stable environment with two parents who implement rules, provide attentive care, and cultivate a sense of security goes a long way.”
Rob [2018] did his PhD in Psychology alongside writing Troubled. The book was many years in gestation, starting as a college application essay in the New York Times, followed by an op-ed piece on the importance of family and responsibility which was published just after he graduated from Yale.
“The book has been five years in the making,” he says. “It’s like doing another PhD.” His actual PhD, having started with a focus on moral psychology morphed into a study of the effects of Covid on moral judgement and behaviour. He also did a study of age and morality and says the one thing that links his academic work and his book is his curiosity about what leads to generosity and kindness “because so many people helped me along the way”.
Following Rob’s talk, there will be a Q&A session. The event takes place on Friday 4th October from 5:15pm-6:30pm.
*To register, click here.
