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Important. Discussed by Haidt in his last book. Concepts such as trauma & prejudice (real things that exist) creeping downward - to apply to things of less severity - & outward - to encompass new things - in an ever-expanding conceptualisation of what constitutes safety from harm https://twitter.com/SteveStuWill/status/1286251810303250434
This concept explains a lot about modern-day progressive politics imo, specifically the way many progressives are prone to throwing terms like ‘trauma,’ & ‘racism’ around like confetti at a wedding &, by virtue of this fact, dilute the original meaning of these terms.
& from a mental health perspective, reductionism about trauma which is reliant on trauma concept creep, is not actually helpful to ppl https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1260051958259494912?s=20
This applies to therapists with a psycho-dynamic orientation (a form of Neo-Freudianism basically) in particular imo https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/982586921678405633?s=20
When all you have is a hammer everything looks like is a nail.
When all you have is Neo-Freudianism, everything looks like trauma.
Even autism.
https://theconversation.com/amp/frances-autism-problem-and-its-roots-in-psychoanalysis-94210?__twitter_impression=true
When all you have is Neo-Freudianism, everything looks like trauma.
Even autism.
https://theconversation.com/amp/frances-autism-problem-and-its-roots-in-psychoanalysis-94210?__twitter_impression=true
Despite all the evidence linking to autism to genetics
Ppl are aware of the risks of bio-medical reductionism but psycho-social reductionism can be just as bad. Trauma is a real thing, its not a made up concept, but its not the reason for all MH problems, learning disabilities, developmental disorders or all the other probs we face.
& this kind of thinking has infected the world outside Psychiatry. So, for instance, a trans-gendered Vox journo tries to get Matthew Yglesias sacked bc he signed a letter which was also signed by JK Rowling on the grounds that doing so made this person feel ‘unsafe.’
A classic example of the ways in which the concept of ‘safety’ has crept downward & outward. ‘Safetyism’ Haidt calls it & its taken over progressive politics & bc progressive politics is taking over all of our major institutions, its taking over everything else too.
This is the genesis for what we are now calling ‘cancel culture’ i.e what Haidt refers to as ‘safetyism’ which metastases on the basis of the concept creep of various categories of harm, ‘trauma’ being one, but there are many others.
& ultimately we end up with this situation i.e ‘safetyism’ results in illiberalism https://twitter.com/bernybelvedere/status/1285963655956307968?s=20
The road to hell is paved with good intentions I guess.
