The Coddling of the American Mind : How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

A timely investigation into the campus assault on free speech and what it means for students, education, and our democracy In September of 2015, Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff wrote a cover story for the Atlantic called "The Coddling of the American Mind" in which they detailed the catastrophic campus war on freedom of speech. It is now one of the most read articles in the one hundred and sixty-year history of the magazine. Haidt and Lukianoff, overnight, became the go-to experts on this new American intolerance. In the two years since the article originally ran, campus culture has grown immeasurably worse. We've all seen the headlines: Charles Murray's appearance at Middlebury College devolved into a violent brawl; invitations to speak on campus have been rescinded to conservatives of all stripes; and many universities now have Bias Response Teams of students who are deployed anytime a professor offends anyone. Rather than freedom of speech, college is now...M.F Something Has Been Going Wrong On Many College Campuses In The Last Few Years. Speakers Are Shouted Down. Students And Professors Say They Are Walking On Eggshells And Are Afraid To Speak Honestly. Rates Of Anxiety, Depression, And Suicide Are Rising--on Campus As Well As Nationally. How Did This Happen? First Amendment Expert Greg Lukianoff And Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt Show How The New Problems On Campus Have Their Origins In Three Terrible Ideas That Have Become Increasingly Woven Into American Childhood And Education: What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Weaker; Always Trust Your Feelings; And Life Is A Battle Between Good People And Evil People. These Three Great Untruths Contradict Basic Psychological Principles About Well-being And Ancient Wisdom From Many Cultures. Embracing These Untruths--and The Resulting Culture Of Safetyism--interferes With Young People's Social, Emotional, And Intellectual Development. It Makes It Harder For Them To Become Autonomous Adults Who Are Able To Navigate The Bumpy Road Of Life. Lukianoff And Haidt Investigate The Many Social Trends That Have Intersected To Promote The Spread Of These Untruths. They Explore Changes In Childhood Such As The Rise Of Fearful Parenting, The Decline Of Unsupervised, Child-directed Play, And The New World Of Social Media That Has Engulfed Teenagers In The Last Decade. They Examine Changes On Campus, Including The Corporatization Of Universities And The Emergence Of New Ideas About Identity And Justice. They Situate The Conflicts On Campus Within The Context Of America's Rapidly Rising Political Polarization And Dysfunction. This Is A Book For Anyone Who Is Confused By What Is Happening On College Campuses Today, Or Has Children, Or Is Concerned About The Growing Inability Of Americans To Live, Work, And Cooperate Across Party Lines.--dust Jacket. Introduction: The Search For Wisdom -- Part I. Three Bad Ideas. The Untruth Of Fragility : What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Weaker ; The Untruth Of Emotional Reasoning : Always Trust Your Feelings ; The Untruth Of Us Versus Them : Life Is A Battle Between Good People And Evil People -- Part Ii. Bad Ideas In Action. Intimidation And Violence ; Witch Hunts -- Part Iii. How Did We Get Here?. The Polarization Cycle ; Anxiety And Depression ; Paranoid Parenting ; The Decline Of Play ; The Bureaucracy Of Safetyism ; The Quest For Justice -- Part Iv. Wising Up. Wiser Kids ; Wiser Universities ; Wiser Societies -- Appendix 1: How To Do Cbt ; Appendix 2: The Chicago Statement On Principles Of Free Expression. Greg Lukianoff And Jonathan Haidt. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 283-327) And Index. A timely investigation into the campus assault on free speech and what it means for students, education, and our democracy. The generation now coming of age has been taught three Great Untruths: their feelings are always right; they should avoid pain and discomfort; and they should look for faults in others and not themselves. These three Great Untruths are part of a larger philosophy that sees young people as fragile creatures who must be protected and supervised by adults. But despite the good intentions of the adults who impart them, the Great Untruths are harming kids by teaching them the opposite of ancient wisdom and the opposite of modern psychological findings on grit, growth, and antifragility. The result is rising rates of depression and anxiety, along with endless stories of college campuses torn apart by moralistic divisions and mutual recriminations. This is a book about how we got here. First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt take us on a tour of the social trends stretching back to the 1980s that have produced the confusion and conflict on campus today, including the loss of unsupervised play time and the birth of social media, all during a time of rising political polarization. This is a book about how to fix the mess. The culture of safety and its intolerance of opposing viewpoints has left many young people anxious and unprepared for adult life, with devastating consequences for them, for their parents, for the companies that will soon hire them, and for a democracy that is already pushed to the brink of violence over its growing political divisions. Lukianoff and Haidt offer a comprehensive set of reforms that will strengthen young people and institutions, allowing us all to reap the benefits of diversity, including viewpoint diversity. This is a book for anyone who is confused by whats happening on college campuses today, or has children, or is concerned about the growing inability of Americans to live and work and cooperate across party lines. "Something is going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are rising. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and afraid to speak honestly. How did this happen? First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt show how the new problems on campus have their origins in three terrible ideas that have become increasingly woven into American childhood and education: what doesn't kill you makes you weaker; always trust your feelings; and life is a battle between good people and evil people. These three Great Untruths are incompatible with basic psychological principles, as well as ancient wisdom from many cultures. They interfere with healthy development. Anyone who embraces these untruths--and the resulting culture of safetyism--is less likely to become an autonomous adult able to navigate the bumpy road of life. Lukianoff and Haidt investigate the many social trends that have intersected to produce these untruths. They situate the conflicts on campus in the context of America's rapidly rising political polarization, including a rise in hate crimes and off-campus provocation. They explore changes in childhood including the rise of fearful parenting, the decline of unsupervised play, and the new world of social media that has engulfed teenagers in the last decade. This is a book for anyone who is confused by what is happening on college campuses today, or has children, or is concerned about the growing inability of Americans to live, work, and cooperate across party lines"-- Provided by publisher Something has been going wrong on many college campuses in the 2010s. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak honestly. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are rising - on campus as well as nationally. How did this happen? First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt show how the new problems on campus have their origins in three terrible ideas that have become increasingly woven into American childhood and education: What doesn't kill you makes you weaker; Always trust your feelings; and Life is a battle between good people and evil people. These three Great Untruths contradict basic psychological principles about well-being and ancient wisdom from many cultures. Embracing these untruths - and the resulting culture of safetyism - interferes with young people's social, emotional, and intellectual development. It makes it harder for them to become autonomous adults who are able to navigate the bumpy road of life. The authors investigate the many social trends that have intersected to promote the spread of these untruths. They explore changes in childhood such as the rise of fearful parenting, the decline of unsupervised, child-directed play, and the new world of social media that has engulfed teenagers in the last decade. They examine changes on campus, including the corporatization of universities and the emergence of new ideas about identity and justice. -- Adapted from jacket description "Something has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak honestly. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are rising--on campus as well as nationally. How did this happen? First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt show how the new problems on campus have their origins in three terrible ideas that have become increasingly woven into American childhood and education: What doesn't kill you makes you weaker; Always trust your feelings; and Life is a battle between good people and evil people. These three Great Untruths contradict basic psychological principles about well-being and ancient wisdom from many cultures. Embracing these untruths -- and the resulting culture of safetyism -- interferes with young people's social, emotional, and intellectual development. It makes it harder for them to become autonomous adults who are able to navigate the bumpy road of life. Lukianoff and Haidt investigate the many social trends that have intersected to promote the spread of these untruths. They explore changes in childhood such as the rise of fearful parenting, the decline of unsupervised, child-directed play, and the new world of social media that has engulfed teenagers in the last decade. They examine changes on campus, including the corporatization of universities and the emergence of new ideas about identity and justice."--Jacket