Surname1 Surname: Analysis of an Argument: “The Coddling of the American Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt Professor: Date: REVIEW AND ANALYSIS Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. (2015) The Coddling of the American Mind The Atlantic Retrieved at http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/ Motive is the reason behind doing something. In the education circles, the reason behind teaching a student is to equip them with the necessary tools essential in a particular field one selects as one secures a job in the workforce based on their learning. The key intention is to impact students with the necessary education needed in the world today. The way in which students are taught in universities in the current settings take different forms especially when considering such factors as the way the current generation has been brought up – in the advent of advanced technologies and vindictive protectiveness. Personal rights are being established as students exercise their rights from all areas. This has disrupted the education systems especially in universities where lecturers and professors and now cautious of their language and what they teach. Students too are caught in between as they demand to set the pace within which they will be taught. This means that students now play a key role in dictating to lecturers the system to use in teaching and in some instances, the words to use and materials. The author asserts that students getting into universities today are more “desirous of protection and more hostile towards ideological opponents….…”(Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. 2015). This means that self-righteousness and hostility triggered by strong partisan emotions creates a moral crusade where people tend to express their allegiance to a group. He stipulates that such an assertion can indeed interfere with student’s ability to think critically. His view is that students should acknowledge other people’s views and learn how to cope with the diversity of this world. He examines the Socratic method of teaching whereby students are taught how to think and this fosters critical thinking. This encourages students to examine other people’s beliefs critically though at times it may trigger discomfort and anger in reference to way of understanding. Students should be prepared intellectually for professional life as they are going to meet people with ideas and assumptions that they might find wrong (Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. 2015). In a campus setting, this may be considered as hate speech as one is culpable of committing an offence against another student or lecturer. The culture being fostered at campus is that of policing speech and punishing speakers which shapes ones patterns of thoughts. For instance, in the globalized world, one is likely to find a job in another part of the continent far from where they were born. If a person’s background is based on thinking pathologically, they are ...

1. Surname1
Surname:
Analysis of an Argument: “The Coddling of the American
Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
Professor:
Date:
REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. (2015) The Coddling of the
American Mind The Atlantic Retrieved at
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-
coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/
Motive is the reason behind doing something. In the education
circles, the reason behind teaching a student is to equip them
with the necessary tools essential in a particular field one
selects as one secures a job in the workforce based on their
learning. The key intention is to impact students with the
necessary education needed in the world today. The way in
which students are taught in universities in the current settings
take different forms especially when considering such factors as
the way the current generation has been brought up – in the
advent of advanced technologies and vindictive protectiveness.
Personal rights are being established as students exercise their
rights from all areas. This has disrupted the education systems
especially in universities where lecturers and professors and
now cautious of their language and what they teach. Students
too are caught in between as they demand to set the pace within
which they will be taught. This means that students now play a
key role in dictating to lecturers the system to use in teaching
and in some instances, the words to use and materials.
The author asserts that students getting into universities today
are more “desirous of protection and more hostile towards
ideological opponents….…”(Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan
Haidt. 2015). This means that self-righteousness and hostility

2. triggered by strong partisan emotions creates a moral crusade
where people tend to express their allegiance to a group. He
stipulates that such an assertion can indeed interfere with
student’s ability to think critically. His view is that students
should acknowledge other people’s views and learn how to cope
with the diversity of this world. He examines the Socratic
method of teaching whereby students are taught how to think
and this fosters critical thinking. This encourages students to
examine other people’s beliefs critically though at times it may
trigger discomfort and anger in reference to way of
understanding.
Students should be prepared intellectually for professional life
as they are going to meet people with ideas and assumptions
that they might find wrong (Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt.
2015). In a campus setting, this may be considered as hate
speech as one is culpable of committing an offence against
another student or lecturer. The culture being fostered at
campus is that of policing speech and punishing speakers which
shapes ones patterns of thoughts. For instance, in the globalized
world, one is likely to find a job in another part of the continent
far from where they were born. If a person’s background is
based on thinking pathologically, they are unlikely to fit in that
societal setting. Adapting to a different environment becomes
difficult as one is inclined to thinking in a particular way far
from what the masses depict. This results to anxiety and
depression as one is unable to cope with the changing
environment in their professional life.
In a university setting, a student easily gets back-up from other
students who have a common thinking. In this way, it becomes
very easy for a student to forge a common ground and together
they lobby the institution to do as per their intentions. Such an
environment breeds protectiveness as students have more
control over the teaching systems. For instance,Jonathan Haidt
cites Jeannie Suks` online article on the New Yorker about “law
students asking her fellow professors at Harvard not to teach
rape law—or, in one case, even use the word violate (as in “that

3. violates the law”) lest it cause students distress” (Greg
Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. 2015). This means that a
movement has been rising in the campuses driven by the
students to eliminate ideas, words, and subjects that are likely
to cause discomfort.Imagine a situation where the students are
dictating what they will be taught. Imagine them dictating to a
lecturer not to engage into a subject that is already in the
syllabus.It’s my assumption that if the current trend continues,
then the students will not be equipped enough in their
professional life. The education system is likely to be paralyzed
as it becomes difficult to polish speech and subjects to conform
to the needs of students.
As a result of globalization and advanced technology, space has
shrinked as people are able to communicate and interact with
people of diverse cultures and backgrounds.In a situation where
other peoples values, ideas, or speech are depicted as wrong and
aggressive towards an innocent victim, it’s difficult to foster an
environment of mutual respect and negotiation. Understanding
that we cannot be equal and that we should learn to incorporate
other people’s diverse ideas should be the core areas in which
universities should base their curriculum and teachings in. This
is because universities attract people from different countries
and backgrounds who are brought together by search for
education. Just as people emanate from different backgrounds,
it is difficult or nearly impossible to please every student. What
one student considers good can be regarded by another student
as being wrong based on various factors such as cultural
elements. Emotions directly impact of actions and are twofold.
This means that an emotion can necessitate an action and vice
versa where an action can trigger an emotion. An action can
therefore produce happiness as happiness too can effect a
certain action. One’s reaction is normally dependent on the
surrounding environment. An action in this case can be defined
as a process or fact of doing something to achieve an aim.
Personal gratification is the norm of the day in campuses
irrespective of the status quo.

4. Distorted thinking is the key word and all stakeholders in the
education system should strive to change the thinking of campus
students. The key goal is to eliminate distorted thinking and
foster an inclusive thinking where one is not driven by
emotions. The author provides a clear guideline on how students
can tame their thinking: one starts by learning the common
cognitive distortions and each time one finds himself/herself in
a situation that demands critical thinking, he/she names it,
defines the facts of the situation, examines alternative
interpretations and then settles on an interpretation that most
likely conforms to those facts. Every day is filled with mixed
emotions each specific and nuanced to the social and physical
situations which we find ourselves in. We are capable of 4 basic
emotions: happiness, sadness, surprised/afraid, and
disgusted/angry. The environment fosters these emotions and
this is what shapes a student’s thinking and emotional action.
The authors conclusion is that the increased “attempts to shield
students from words, ideas, and people that might cause them
emotional discomfort are bad for the students” (Greg Lukianoff
and Jonathan Haidt. 2015). This is based on the fact that if such
a trend is incepted in a student and continues to act in a similar
manner even in workplace, then they are likely to be embedded
in unending litigations as they push their expectations forward.
Rather than putting measures aimed at protecting students
against ideas, words, and subjects that deem unfit, campuses
should strive to equip their students to thrive in diverse
environments full of ideas, words, or culture they cannot
control.
Naturally, specific emotion states are linked to action patterns
that encompass philosophical components and expressed in
particular bodily and facial behaviors. This means that in
normal circumstances, ones emotions are directly influenced by
surrounding actions and this dictates a person’s behavior. Ones
emotions should be based on clear and accurate interpretation of
facts and ideas and this improves mental hygiene as it frees
students from repetitive irrational thoughts that they were

5. previously engulfed in in their consciousness: they now become
less depressed, angry and anxious.
References
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. (2015) The Coddling of the
AmericanMind The Atlantic Retrieved at
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-
coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/
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