The Coddling of the American Mind

How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

By: Jonathan Haidt, Greg Lukianoff

Narrated by: Jonathan Haidt

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A timely investigation into the new "safety culture" on campus and the dangers it poses to free speech, mental health, education, and ultimately 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 what’s 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.

©2018 Greg Lukianoff (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A disturbing and comprehensive analysis of recent campus trends… Lukianoff and Haidt notice something unprecedented and frightening… The consequences of a generation unable or disinclined to engage with ideas that make them uncomfortable are dire for society, and open the door - accessible from both the left and the right - to various forms of authoritarianism.” (Thomas Chatterton Williams, The New York Times Book Review - cover review and Editors’ Choice selection)

"So how do you create ‘wiser kids’? Get them off their screens. Argue with them. Get them out of their narrow worlds of family, school and university. Boot them out for a challenging Gap year. It all makes perfect sense…the cure seems a glorious revelation." (Philip Delves Broughton, Evening Standard)

“Perhaps the strongest argument in Haidt and Lukianoff’s favour...is this: if you see this issue as being about little more than a few sanctimonious teenagers throwing hissy fits on campus then, yes, it is probably receiving too much attention. But if you accept their premise, that it’s really a story about mental wellbeing and emotional fragility, about a generation acting out because it has been set up to fail by bad parenting and poorly designed institutions, then their message is an urgent one. And it is one that resonates well beyond dusty libraries and manicured quadrangles, into all of our lives.” (Josh Glancy, The Sunday Times (UK))

Oh so needed of a book by teachers and students alike

I recently graduated from an American university. I first hand experienced the three untruths this book outlines, I saw the pendulum swing voraciously towards safetyism.

The Coddling is a well researched book coming at an important time. Teachers in college and below as well as students in college and below should read this book.

A must read for all college students and parents

This is more true now then when the book was written. Free speech is being eliminated at schools and across the nation. It is scary how the change in a simple dynamic (smart phones and over-protective parents) can backfire so radically in such a short period of time. This book is an excellent read in explaining the problem, the origin of the problem and possible solutions while bringing in enough evidence and stories to make it surprisingly interesting.

A clear explanation of the problem & solution

I only recommend this book to those who care about themselves and/or humanity. This has a broad application & I can't imagine anyone who would not be able to use the ideas here.

One of the most important book of its time.

Even if the focus is on education, this book should be read by everyone to better understand the world we live in.

Perfection

This book truly speaks to some issues I have felt plague this society for some time. I have listened to, shared this book, recommended and also posted about it on social media. I feel so very strongly that it should be required reading material. It has been the topic of many conversations in my salon. I am a stylist in a town with an Ivy League school. I see many college students and my town in extremely far left. This book has offered so much insight and I recommend to all.

the middle is needed

The bipolar media created world of right and wrong must be combated in the middle needs to assert itself. The authors do a nice job of highlighting the sensationalized minds of America today fueled by the confidence academia is right and everyone else is wrong.

Want to share this with so many people!

I saw the Woke Ideology first hand when I was back in NY at the end of my dad’s life, and although I recognized that the Anarchist Marxists were fueling so much of the discontent, there were well-meaning activists who couldn’t see how programmed they were, and how obvious their virtue signaling was. I got caught up in it enough to understand the power of the pull. This book can help you snap out of your victim trance, urging you on your way to becoming a functional citizen. My only complaint is that the reader occasionally seems patronizing, and I could see some people being turned off at those points. I believe this will end up being considered an absolute classic, along with Douglas Murray’s Madness of Crowds and Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules. Let’s Make America Sane Again...

Everyone should read this book.

Educators, please read this. Parents, please read this. Young humans, please read this!

What an interesting way to weave together these different events.

Challenges the status quo with evidence

I loved Jonathan Haidt's "The Righteous Mind" and understand his background going into "The Coddling". Some of Haidt's examples are anecdotal and some of the research he cites is new, but overall he makes a good case. His most important thesis is against "safety-ism", which I agreed with, though he could have used a few more examples of the harmful long term effects on our youth. Despite some its minor failings, I believe this book should be taught in college courses (particularly humanities), as it challenges the misguided status quo of trigger warnings, safe spaces, and identity politics. Haidt does not wholly reject these trends, as there are themes worth exploring in all of them, but he points out that the worst iterations are becoming damaging to our youth. As a millennial who attended a left-leaning college on the west coast, I observed some of this destruction first hand and will be recommending this book to my colleagues.

great book, clear thinking

great book, clear thinking. I am a fan so that is not surprising. It can be a difficult topic but Jonathan is such a great writer and clearly spells out his points.