I tend to agree but with a strong caution for balance. I think a trigger warning can certainly prime an individual who is somewhat fused to their 'victim-identity' to be triggered, but those providing structure for these individuals (e.g., bosses, teachers, therapists) should be aware of triggers so as to not unduly evoke a potentially retraumatizing experience. I think it is very important for traumatized individuals to learn to accept that they will be triggered and that they need to learn to cope with it, as that is a part of their recovery process. I am reminded of the oft mentioned aphorism "the only way out is through." Of course we need to be sensitive and empathic to traumatized peoples, and we need to address this specific issue in the same manner if it is at all to be received (part of the reason Jordan Peterson has had so much backlash on issues like this is because he chooses to be more blunt about it - his style, but he should know better. The prominence of trigger warning in society today is a perfect example of a worthy treatment factor being hijacked by the postmodern culture, and if we can find a more metamodern balance as I have described I think we can find the best of both worlds. Regards, Nicholas G. Lattanzio, Psy.D. On Thu, Sep 10, 2020, 7:51 AM Cole Butler <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Glad to see some empirical evidence on this.. The findings make a lot of > sense, but the empirical validation is especially important and warranted. > I just wonder whether or not this will make any sort of significant impact > on the usage of trigger warnings.. > > Best, > > Cole Butler > Faculty Specialist > Project Coordinator: Treating Parents with ADHD and their Children (TPAC > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__umdadhd.org_ongoing-2Dprojects-2Dand-2Dfunding&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=dV_Z4Ej8Zt8YT2oPvUCDxd3UVPrLhfLip_h4RRqkhzE&s=qW75dW1L3ZyuW5XXgzI3qxXBmaNzXoHGP_X41pbuHzA&e=> > ) > University of Maryland > UMD ADHD Lab > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.umdadhd.org_cole&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=dV_Z4Ej8Zt8YT2oPvUCDxd3UVPrLhfLip_h4RRqkhzE&s=K-xXlkeqxIPLSZJuokeaI69zXJf-DPFgeRizGH1vgA0&e=> > 2103W, Cole Field House | College Park, MD 20742 > tel 301.405.6163 > > > On Thu, Sep 10, 2020 at 8:03 AM Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx < > [log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Hi TOK Folks, >> >> >> >> Someone backchanneled me this article forwarded from Ken Pope’s list >> serve on trigger warnings. See below. Summary is that the overall picture >> does not offer strong endorsement of their utility, at least from the >> empirical findings gathered to date, and is probably more likely to enhance >> a trauma-victim narrative overall. >> >> >> >> I think the debates around trigger warnings highlight one of the most >> central dilemmas in today’s world, which is the tension between (and >> massive polarization around) creating safe, equitable environments that >> enable people of all stripes and backgrounds to navigate and have access >> without undue hardship or marginalization AND ensuring folks are >> accountable and responsible for their own vulnerabilities, weaknesses and >> are not celebrated or reinforced or coddled for a victim identity that >> sometimes can be too easily claimed and asserted, especially if rights are >> being proclaimed absent equal focus on responsibility. The stoic philosophy >> is a good guide on this latter point, and it is something that was central >> to Jordan Peterson’s rise. >> >> >> >> Note that the social/relational motivational dynamics on this tension can >> be framed by the Influence Matrix >> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.unifiedtheoryofknowledge.org_8-2Dkey-2Dideas_the-2Dinfluence-2Dmatrix&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=dV_Z4Ej8Zt8YT2oPvUCDxd3UVPrLhfLip_h4RRqkhzE&s=nRcXZEA2LUiUmuOD-_Yrugol5UbL6shssXXsJo5CwvY&e=>. >> If folks are interested in hearing more, I can elaborate. >> >> >> >> Best, >> Gregg >> >> >> >> >> >> ----- Forwarded Message ----- >> >> *From:* Ken Pope <[log in to unmask]> >> >> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 8, 2020, 06:31:08 AM PDT >> >> *Subject:* Helping or Harming? Effect of Trigger Warnings on People w/ >> Trauma Histories—Random Assignment Study of 451 Trauma Survivors >> >> >> >> *Clinical Psychological Science* has scheduled a study for publication >> in a future issue: "Helping or Harming? The Effect of Trigger Warnings on >> Individuals With Trauma Histories.” >> >> >> >> The authors are Payton J. Jones, Benjamin W. Bellet, & Richard J. McNally. >> >> >> >> Here’s how it opens: >> >> >> >> [begin excerpt] >> >> >> >> Giving a trigger warning means providing prior notification about >> forthcoming content that may be emotionally disturbing (Boysen, 2017). In >> this sense, trigger warnings are similar to PG-13 or “viewer discretion >> advised” warnings that are common across many different forms of media. >> Trigger warnings are distinct in that they originated as a measure of >> protection specifically for survivors of trauma. For people with >> posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), viewing reminders of trauma can spark >> painful reexperiencing symptoms (e.g., flashbacks; American Psychiatric >> Association [APA], 2013). Trigger warnings originated in online discussion >> groups for survivors of sexual trauma in which individuals would warn >> readers before discussing their experiences. Since their inception, trigger >> warnings have expanded far beyond the boundaries of specialized online >> communities. Trigger warnings are now used in educational settings, social >> media, entertainment, and other venues. In addition to their expansion in >> setting, they have also expanded in scope beyond sexual violence (Wilson, >> 2015). >> >> >> >> Trigger warnings have sparked considerable debate in higher education. >> Proponents of trigger warnings have emphasized their importance in creating >> an inclusive atmosphere for disadvantaged groups on campus (e.g., Karasek, >> 2016). They have argued that trigger warnings provide agency to engage or >> not to engage and that they allow trauma survivors to adequately prepare to >> engage with difficult material. Critics have suggested that trigger >> warnings imperil free speech, academic freedom, and effective teaching, >> which prevents students from engaging with challenging material (e.g., >> Ellison, 2016). Other critics have suggested that trigger warnings foster >> unreasonable expectations about the world, hampering natural resilience >> among young people (e.g., Lukianoff & Haidt, 2015). Furthermore, trigger >> warnings could also be problematic for trauma survivors in particular >> (McNally, 2016). People who view trauma as a core part of their identity >> have worse symptoms (Berntsen & Rubin, 2006; Brown, Antonius, Kramer, Root, >> & Hirst, 2010; Robinaugh & McNally, 2011). Therefore, trigger warnings >> might iatrogenically reinforce the importance of past traumatic events for >> the very people they were originally designed to help. >> >> >> >> The arguments surrounding trigger warnings are often complex. Before >> diving into this complexity, a much more basic question should be answered: >> Do trigger warnings actually work? That is, do they help trauma survivors >> emotionally prepare to engage with difficult material? From the vantage >> point of clinical science, trigger warnings are a type of community-based >> clinical intervention intended to foster emotional well-being among trauma >> survivors. Yet because of their grassroots origin in a nonclinical setting, >> trigger warnings have expanded for years without the rigorous scientific >> evaluation that normally accompanies such interventions. >> >> >> >> [end excerpt] >> >> >> >> Another excerpt: "Trauma survivors (N = 451) were randomly assigned to >> either receive or not to receive trigger warnings before reading passages >> from world literature. We found no evidence that trigger warnings were >> helpful for trauma survivors, for participants who self-reported a >> posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, or for participants who >> qualified for probable PTSD, even when survivors’ trauma matched the >> passages’ content. We found substantial evidence that trigger warnings >> countertherapeutically reinforce survivors’ view of their trauma as central >> to their identity." >> >> >> >> Here’s how the Discussion section opens: "Past research has indicated >> that trigger warnings are unhelpful in reducing anxiety. The results of >> this study are consistent with that conclusion. This study was the first to >> focus on how trigger warnings function in a sample of people who had >> survived Criterion A trauma as defined by the DSM–5 (APA, 2013). Trigger >> warnings did not reduce anxiety for this sample broadly. Trigger warnings >> also did not reduce anxiety among people who met a clinical cutoff for PTSD >> symptoms, reported a diagnosis of PTSD, or reported that the stimuli >> matched the content of their past trauma. Trigger warnings showed trivially >> small effects on response anxiety overall. When effects did emerge, they >> tended toward small increases in anxiety rather than decreases." >> >> >> >> Another excerpt: >> >> >> >> [begin excerpt] >> >> >> >> We found substantial evidence that giving trigger warnings to trauma >> survivors caused them to view trauma as more central to their life >> narrative. This effect is a reason for worry. Some trigger warnings >> explicitly suggest that trauma survivors are uniquely vulnerable (e.g., “ . >> . . especially in those with a history of trauma”). Even when trigger >> warnings mention content only, the implicit message that trauma survivors >> are vulnerable remains (Why else provide a warning?). These messages may >> reinforce the notion that trauma is invariably a watershed event that >> causes permanent psychological change. In reality, a majority of trauma >> survivors are resilient, experiencing little if any lasting psychological >> changes as a result of their experience (Bonanno, 2004; Bonanno & Mancini, >> 2008). Aggregated across various types of trauma, just 4% of potentially >> traumatic events result in PTSD (Liu et al., 2017).2 However, trauma >> survivors who view their traumatic experience as central to their life have >> elevated PTSD symptoms (Berntsen & Rubin, 2006; Brown et., 2010; Robinaugh >> & McNally, 2011). Trauma centrality prospectively predicts elevated PTSD >> symptoms, whereas the reverse is not true (Boals & Ruggero, 2016). >> Decreases in trauma centrality mediated therapy outcomes (Boals & Murrell, >> 2016). This suggests that increasing trauma centrality is directly >> countertherapeutic. In other words, trigger warnings may harm survivors by >> increasing trauma centrality. >> >> >> >> We tested whether the severity of PTSD symptoms in our sample moderated >> any of our tested hypotheses. In most cases, we found either evidence for >> no moderation or ambiguous evidence. However, we did find substantial >> evidence that PTSD symptoms moderated the effect of trigger warnings on >> response anxiety. For individuals who had more severe PTSD, trigger >> warnings increased anxiety. This effect is ironic in the sense that trigger >> warnings may be most harmful for the individuals they were designed to >> protect. We found no evidence that individuals’ prior exposure to trigger >> warnings moderated any of the previous effects. >> >> >> >> [end excerpt] >> >> >> >> *TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THE ARTICLE*: Contact info for reprint requests and >> questions or other correspondence about this article: Payton J. Jones, >> Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, >> MA 02138 E-mail: [log in to unmask] >> >> >> >> Ken Pope >> >> >> >> Pope: Anti-Racism & Racism in Psychology as a Science, Discipline, & >> Profession: 57 Articles & Books (Citations + Summaries) >> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__dmanalytics2.com_click-3Fu-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fkspope.com-252Fethics-252Fanti-2Dracism.php-26i-3D2-26d-3D0GDJwmS2RAeVGqAxC7KCjg-26e-3Dparisa13-2540yahoo.com-26a-3DouPT-5Fc8lR-2Daj2BhDXVKqnw-26s-3DljbcgpWdupY&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=wjF8cZoiFchamTuxBdDEmw&m=EE8PNx0Z-aLWwmBIetex3DgszsSC1kvFjiumM4XgWwY&s=EoLANtNgOlTzvC_FSqBWGHoZ5PvHdnnsiVUdt7hOcXw&e=> >> >> >> >> Pope & Vasquez: Ethics in Psychotherapy & Counseling: A Practical Guide, >> 5th Edition >> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__dmanalytics2.com_click-3Fu-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fkspope.com-252Fethics-252Fethics.php-26i-3D3-26d-3D0GDJwmS2RAeVGqAxC7KCjg-26e-3Dparisa13-2540yahoo.com-26a-3DouPT-5Fc8lR-2Daj2BhDXVKqnw-26s-3DP8aUsUOOqUk&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=wjF8cZoiFchamTuxBdDEmw&m=EE8PNx0Z-aLWwmBIetex3DgszsSC1kvFjiumM4XgWwY&s=keh_OOPpAY7bzFQrPv9EOU8k3kxoIhO0L88qU2gXamE&e=> >> >> >> >> Pope: A Human Rights & Ethics Crisis Facing the World's Largest >> Organization of Psychologists >> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__dmanalytics2.com_click-3Fu-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fkspope.com-252Fapa-252Fcrisis.php-26i-3D4-26d-3D0GDJwmS2RAeVGqAxC7KCjg-26e-3Dparisa13-2540yahoo.com-26a-3DouPT-5Fc8lR-2Daj2BhDXVKqnw-26s-3D0Iu7AfGxHpY&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=wjF8cZoiFchamTuxBdDEmw&m=EE8PNx0Z-aLWwmBIetex3DgszsSC1kvFjiumM4XgWwY&s=BBvvhGoUEWctR7wbwVbFm3L0yXh3nXT3t70P75VIC3Y&e=> >> >> >> >> NOTE: As with any of these Psychology News List messages, please feel >> free to forward this message to any list or individuals who might be >> interested. Thanks! >> >> >> >> *"The important thing is not to stop questioning." * >> >> *—Albert Einstein* >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> You can unsubscribe from the Psychology News List by replying and putting >> "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the Subject line (or by clicking here: Unsubscribe >> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__dmanalytics2.com_delivery-2Dunsubscribe-3Fd-3D0GDJwmS2RAeVGqAxC7KCjg-26e-3Dparisa13-2540yahoo.com-26a-3DouPT-5Fc8lR-2Daj2BhDXVKqnw-26f-3D&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=wjF8cZoiFchamTuxBdDEmw&m=EE8PNx0Z-aLWwmBIetex3DgszsSC1kvFjiumM4XgWwY&s=9bh0mtE8HltSasGhIaRosYE-Y08CIS1AHwYM1Rb-mPw&e=> >> ). >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> . >> >> ############################ >> >> To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: >> mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the >> following link: >> http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1 >> > ############################ > > To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the > following link: > http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1 > ############################ To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the following link: http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1