How Americans Became So Sensitive To Harm Summary

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Things change everyday. As time past, people's minds change as well as the society. Nowadays, Americans are more sensitive to harm than the past and it can be explain by the "concept creep" in the field of psychology. In the online article "How Americans Became So Sensitive to Harm", Conor Friedersdorf discusses how concept creep expanded in psychology such as abuse, bullying, trauma, mental disorder and prejudice. In addition, he argues that concept creep can change society for better or worse and it is important that not to push more sensitivity to harm since oversensitivity can do harm. Friedersdorf message was effective by using different techniques.

The purpose of the article is to inform readers that American people have
He uses two stories to illustrate how concept creep change for good or ill. Story one was about people in the old days would let their children live in house with lead paint and hours in family room thick with cigarette smoke compare to now fewer kids suffer from such exposure because of the powerful stigma against it. Second story was in the past 3rd grader could walk to school or play alone in the park compare to now parent could be arrest or even losing custody for doing the same thing. Through the comparison, the reader is able to know how society's concept to harm can expanded for the better or ill.

Another techniques that Friedersdorf uses to the article is using sources from authority. He used a research paper by Nike Haslam who is a professor of psychology at University of Melbourne to explain how concept creep expanding concept of harm and pathology. He also uses the recent definition of trauma from U.S. Government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This make his article more credible since he is using sources form

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