Hostos Professor Linda Anderson

Hostos Professor Linda Anderson is one of three authors and clinical psychologists whose upcoming book, Silent Agreements:  How Unspoken Expectations Ruin Our Relationships, is set for international release in fall 2019 by Crown Publishing Group.

Anderson, who penned the project with Sonia Banks and Michelle Owens-Patterson, describes the years-long works as a deep exploration on how unexpressed assumptions influence and very often damage our relationships and what we can do about it.

She has been a longstanding professor of psychology in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Department at Hostos. During her tenure she has also taught as a Visiting Adjunct Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University as well as Visiting Faculty at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

In addition to her work as a professor, Anderson formerly served as the College Affirmative Action Officer, Co-Director of the Honors Program, as well as Chairperson of the Behavioral and Social Sciences/Public Administration Department.

“Our hope is that the book will help people identify, prevent and resolve the silent agreements that distort our perceptions and undermine our relationships at home, work and play”, Anderson said. “As clinical psychologists with many years of experience we have worked with countless individuals whose lives have been impacted by silent agreements. ‘Silent agreements’ are those unspoken rules in our relationships that grow from beliefs, assumptions and expectations that we don’t share but hold others accountable to anyway.”