The Coddling of the American Mind : How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton The Coddling of the American Mind : How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, published in 2019, explores the cultural and psychological shifts that have led to increased fragility among young people, particularly on college campuses. The authors argue that well-meaning but misguided practices in parenting, education, and societal norms have contributed to a generation less equipped to handle adversity and engage in open dialogue. The Three Great Untruths Central to the book are the "Three Great Untruths" that Lukianoff and Haidt identify as pervasive and harmful beliefs: 1. The Untruth of Fragility : "What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker." - This untruth suggests that individuals
High Conflict by Amanda Ripley Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out by Amanda Ripley delves into the toxic landscape of high conflict – disputes that escalate into an intractable state of binary opposition. Unlike healthy conflict, which can lead humanity to a better future, high conflict distills into a good-versus-evil feud, where the normal rules of engagement no longer apply. In this state, our brains behave differently, and we become increasingly certain of our own superiority. High Conflict explores real-life stories of individuals drawn into high conflict, including a world-renowned conflict expert in California, a Chicago gang leader seeking vengeance, and liberal Manhattan Jews and conservative Michigan corrections officers attempting to understand each other better. Despite the forces that drive people into high conflict, the book reveals that individuals and communities can break free from its grip by rehumanizin