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17.3: Coddling

  • Page ID
    279309
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    Book Summary

    The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt

    The Coddling of the American Mind (2018) by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt explores how well-intentioned efforts to protect young people have unintentionally harmed their development, particularly in the realms of resilience, critical thinking, and emotional health. The authors argue that three "Great Untruths"—what doesn’t kill you makes you weaker, always trust your feelings, and life is a battle between good and evil people—have gained traction in American culture, especially on college campuses, and are deeply counterproductive to healthy psychological development.

    Lukianoff and Haidt trace the roots of these cultural shifts, highlighting how increased parental overprotection, reduced exposure to free play, and the rising influence of social media have contributed to a generation less prepared to cope with discomfort, disagreement, and failure. Like in The Anxious Generation, they point to the rise of social media and "helicopter parenting" as major contributors to increased anxiety, depression, and emotional fragility among youth.

    The authors are particularly concerned with the effects of these trends in educational environments. They note that many schools and colleges now emphasize emotional safety to a degree that discourages open dialogue, resilience, and intellectual challenge. This overemphasis on comfort, they argue, prevents students from developing the critical thinking and conflict resolution skills needed in adult life.

    Importantly, Lukianoff and Haidt provide a roadmap for improvement, including encouraging greater independence in children, promoting free play, fostering cognitive behavioral approaches to emotional regulation, and creating educational environments that balance empathy with exposure to diverse and challenging ideas. Their work underscores the importance of helping children and adolescents face manageable challenges to build resilience—a theme relevant for educators preparing to support school-age development in a rapidly changing world.


    This page titled 17.3: Coddling is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kerry Diaz & Tenessa Sanchez.