Frontiers of American Vengeance: The Frontier Thesis, the Zero Tolerance Policy, and the Interpersonal Process of Creative Shame

Abstract

During the Spring of 2018, the United States Federal Government, in accordance with its new Zero Tolerance immigration policy, separated at least 2,654 infants and children from their parents at its southern border. This was done with no plans for reuniting these families which, in many cases, has proven extremely difficult if not impossible. These acts echo the vengeance that occurred on the original American Frontier and included the Native-American genocide. Although the specifics and severities greatly differ, the psychodynamics and related processes are similar. Also, certain associated national foundational myths of American exceptionalism and Manifest Destiny 1 are manipulated and exploited in similar ways. Unlike with the genocide, however, these acts are occurring in the present day and offer an opportunity for Americans to engage in the interpersonal, potentially remedial, process of creative shame. The author’s experience of this generative process is presented, including an example from his clinical work.