“More students seemed to be in agreement with administrators that they were unsafe, that many aspects of students’ lives needed to be carefully regulated by adults, and that it was far better to overreact to potential risks and threats than to underreact. In this way, campus administrators – usually with the best intentions – were modeling distorted thinking”
– Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, The Coddling of the American Mind
Recently, I published an article in the Journal of Psychological and Educational Research titled: Arrested Educational Development: Universities and the Infantilization of Students Instead of Adragogical Competency – A Systematic Review. In this article, I developed a framework called Arrested Educational Development (AED) which is a psychological theory of “attributing fear and anxiety to the educational process, hindering student competency towards negative effects for their social and economic future” (p. 7). What I believe leads to AED is infantilization which means to ‘form infancy’ of someone or something psychologically through prolonged action. Infantilization is a problem right now with pre-teens, teens, young adults, and even full adult individuals in our society. However, this is still a broad concept, which is both challenging and exciting as it leaves a lot of room for more focused research to understand AED and infantilization further. With that said, I think a good starting point is finding current examples of infantilization-leading-to-AED in our society.
I was speaking with an acquaintance in our chat group about children today in elementary school. This individual is a judge who was describing the policy of ‘pick-up’ and ‘drop-off’ every morning and every afternoon. I have seen this pick-up and drop-off before in other conversations, so I would ask “What is pick-up and drop-off?” I know what it is specifically, but as an observation, why is it a thing that is happening? Do students not take the bus anymore? I have spoken with people from an older generation who would be mortified at the fact their friends would see them being picked up and dropped off by their parents. So, I prefaced the question by saying “Why is this a thing with school nowadays?” The judge, in his great wisdom, said this:
“Because the mothers are scared of what could happen. Will they be abducted? Do they know where they are going? Do they have enough water in their water bottle? What if they get thirsty?”
This was so interesting, especially the water bottle – I mean – so what? Your child is not going to die from dehydration from school to home on the bus. What is strange about this, is that I have seen parents talking like this – not referencing their little children – but children who are 8-12 years old. Do you mean to tell me your kid is not responsible enough to fill up their water bottle before they get on the bus, at one of the many water fountains at an elementary school? Or if they forget to do that, understand the time and that they will be home shortly to get a drink? I am a millennial, and even I had to navigate latchkey-ism at moments during my pre-teens; as in, showing up to a parentless house and making myself some Kraft Dinner (Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for the Americans), and ‘fend for myself’ until my parents got home.
I honestly think the water bottle excuse is not an actualized one, just an irrational ad hoc hypothesis that is not an actual concern in any sense. The concept of abduction could be actualized, as it has happened in the past, However, it is not that simple of a justification. In Coddling of the American Mind, the theme of child abduction, or the hyperbolic fear of child abduction, is another form of toxic “safteyism” in our society according to the authors. They suggest that the hyperbolic fear of child abduction, or other extremely unlikely dangers, may be a consequence of an overprotective mindset – more succinctly, overprotective parenting to shield the child from any harm.
If the abstract of my article did not give it away (it is in the first line) Lukianoff and Haidt’s Coddling of the American Mind was a significant item for the clarification of infantilization and the precedent for AED. Simply, in the case of child abduction, the fear presented by sensationalist media creates a logical fallacy and an error in thinking by parents.
1. Some children get abducted on their way home from school.
2. I have a child that travels home from school.
∴ My child will be abducted on their way home from school.
Haidt and Lukianoff point out how this theme of child abduction is heightened in the media, to sensationalize the tragedy, and to meet the business demands of the media. The authors contend that the intense media coverage of these rare and extreme cases can contribute to what they refer to as the “paranoid parenting” phenomenon, where parents become excessively fearful for their children’s safety even in situations where the risk is statistically low. The sensationalist media makes it worse, avoiding the image of “some children” and presenting the image of “many children.” Leaving parents to think “My child is one of many children, many children is common; therefore, it is common for my child to be abducted from school.”
Ultimately, what this fear does, they argue, is it can lead to overprotective behaviors and a desire to shield children from any possible harm, which, in turn, may have unintended consequences for the children’s well-being and development. Lukianoff and Haidt advocate for a more nuanced and evidence-based approach to assessing risks, encouraging parents and society to strike a balance between protecting children and allowing them the freedom to explore and learn from their experiences. Where do we find this nuance? And how do we change the psychology around it? The theory of AED intends to understand this.
AED is a negative feedback loop that has a stimulus that triggers the sensor and is influenced by the effector in a loop that is tough to escape.
Socio-Economic Infantilization
Instead of starting at the top, let’s start with the setting of our AED, and understanding it at a socio-economic level. In the article, I discuss the media culture landscape, as marketing for businesses seems to be using immaturity to target people. Marketers would say using “immaturity” is a bit negative, they would rather go with curiosity, playfulness, and nostalgia to describe their strategy, but that is just semantic wordplay. Anything nostalgic, or playfully curious outside of the timeline of the human being is infantilization. It can manifest in many ways, have it be the 12-year-old not wanting to sit on their parent’s lap anymore, the 20-year-old former star quarterback who, strangely, likes to go to the prep rallies at their old high school; or even the 60-year-old who wants to go to night clubs and recapture the fun of their 20’s. These are all forms of infantilization.
A prime example is the comic book movies that seem to be in theatres every week. Granted, a large demographic is children aged 8-13, but a significant demographic is adults aged 25-40. Or, search for “Adult Disney Fans Are Weird” and you will see a Reddit thread dedicated to it, but filed under r/unpopularopinion. The fact that adult Disney fans exist and that it’s weird is not troubling here – what’s troubling is that it’s considered an unpopular opinion. One look through the re-threads of that Reddit post is shocking, to say the least. From Disney-themed weddings to Mickey Mouse figurines in office spaces. One comment stuck out to me:
“Disney was created to transport both children and adults into a fantasy world and allow them to forget about the real world for a few moments. Walt Disney created the parks specifically so that he could go to a theme park that was fun for all the family regardless of age. It’s pure escapism and especially in this world we live in today I think that’s more important than ever.”
Another said:
“I love Disney World, I think the sense of wonderment in the park comes from the feeling that you’re not just on vacation, you’re on an adventure. Like there’s so much stuff to go see and do.”
Certain themes are found in these comments – notably escapism, fantasy, wonderment, and adventure. Is this great for your kids to experience, yes. Is it healthy for your adult brain to be surrounded, and to work for, escapism, fantasy, and wonderment that Disney offers? No, I would say it is unhealthy. Another commenter suggested that families who were poor and didn’t have a normal childhood love Disney because they could become the children they wanted to be. All of this comes in the form of life-stage dissolution which Hayward describes as victim culture which “has intensified the infantilized adult’s need for comfort, shelter, and safety, something that, as we have seen, is already a major trope within contemporary marketing (the so-called ‘protective shield of childhood’).” This ultimately leads the adult to erode the distinction between adulthood and childhood leading to the superficiality of real-world outcomes. For example, “why is my marriage not a happy-ever-after tale? I think I need a divorce”. “I didn’t have to do these tasks as a kid, why do I need to do them as an adult”? “Ugh, I am so over this week, I just need to curl up in a ball (swaddle blanket) and drink some wine (adult juice from a sippy cup)”.
Is this being harsh? Maybe. Does it help adults, who are tasked with the responsibility to carry our society forward, stay in this perpetual loop of childhood at the behest of the economy? I would suggest this is a bad idea.
Narcissistic Infantilization
The narcissistic infantilization is multi-faceted in its presentation. Not only is it the student who may be presenting narcissistic tendencies, but our leaders in the form of educators, administrators, and legislators in the public that create this precedent. It is the Williams article in my research that describes the challenge that narcissism presents with infantilization, such as, in an educational context, we have a mix of distorted reality paired with a demand for gratification at every instance that produces narcissism in students. What are some real-world examples of this?
When discussing narcissistic infantilization, I always come back to the NYU Professor’s case to exemplify this. In short, NYU Organic Chemistry Professor Maitland Jones was fired after 82 of his 350 students signed a petition stating that his class was too challenging and did not provide adequate support for a comfortable learning environment. The truth is, something like organic chemistry at a reputable university is not supposed to be comfortable. A course like this should show who has the academic capability, and who doesn’t.
OrgChem is a class that is commonly a pre-requisite for medical school applications – along with biology, inorganic chemistry, and physics. 82 out of 350 suggesting that it’s too challenging is not enough in my opinion. If we are to accept this information, 268 did not sign the petition and felt the course was the appropriate level of difficulty or did not consider thinking it was unreasonable. I might go as far as to say 77% appropriateness is too high, considering the role of a medical doctor is supposed to be reserved for the best of the best academically. For context, only 241 out of 100,000 people in Canada are doctors representing 0.2% of the population. Even if 30 of those 350 go into medical school, only 12 (40%) of those will become doctors.
Jones has stated that this is a continuing problem within academia given the trend of commodification of students as “deans who seem willing to turn students into nothing more than tuition-paying clients.” I compare this concept of student commodification to guests in a hotel. Your job as a hotelier is to keep the guest happy as long as possible to keep that ledger open for as long as possible. Colleges and universities know they need to keep enrolment high, so they capitulate to the egocentric infantilization of students. Not only the students, but they give favor to the professors that stroke the egocentric infantilization. The unfortunate outcomes of socio-economic infantilization create college applicants who expect a resort hotel stay rather than an academic experience. I mean, look at all the universities meeting the needs of students with upgraded dorms, pool areas, excellent food services, and entertainment. You have hotel guests, not students.
Andragogical Deficit and Competency
Let us review what we have so far:
- Socio-economic infantilization creates young adults who seek childlike behavior.
- Childlike young adults enter colleges and universities unprepared for the workforce and are capitulated by the administration; thus, creating glorified luxury hotels rather than academic institutions.
What happens next? Well, once you graduate from university, you expect to enter the workforce with the skills and training you learned from university and apply it in a professional setting to enhance the economy. However, this only comes from a competent school, not a glorified luxury resort. This leads to andragogical incompetence or the inability of individuals to apply knowledge in their adult/professional life leading to an inability to carry out their careers. Don’t ask me, one report suggests that close to 70% of individuals entering the workforce feel unprepared for the tasks required of them.
Articles like this Buzzfeed one are the bane of my existence and a prime definition of infantilization in our society. #13 is a hilarious blind spot from the author here. I cannot tell if this list is to suggest that we need to get our sh*t together, or a pity party for people to understand that adulting is hard, and we are here for you! #19 says “Having to put up with so much crap from people in higher positions even though they’re less competent than you. Because you need that paycheck.” After you just admitted #3 “Vegetables die too soon in the fridge.” You can’t even manage your own fridge, let alone other human beings, why do you feel work is “you are putting up with people.” I wager it is the other way around.
Arrested Educational Development
Finally, we end where we begin at Arrested Educational Development. Once the process of socio-economic infantilization, narcissism, and incompetent learning come into effect you get an unrefined lump of an individual who cannot do anything, cannot contribute to society, and cannot find meaning in anything with life. This is not only in the workplace but in society as well. My theory is that the dating crisis, birthrate, social engagement, failure in education, and stunted economic growth.
Maybe you are seeing this as well, maybe you are not seeing this and are part of the problem. One cohort that is interesting in this instance is the one who sees it and agrees with it, but only for other people not in their situation. This is someone who talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. I think of the boomer parent who says millennials are entitled but allow their 27-year-old kid to live at home rent-free. Or the teacher who says their students are not at the level of learning competence, only to be kindly ‘voluntold’ to pass the student to not have the student drop out and keep their tuition account open. The worst part is that administrators will say you have the decision to pass or fail the student based on their competence, once you do that however, some administrators will re-open the file and offer supplemental resources to have the student pass giving them a 4th and 5th strike after their initial 3.
I used AED as a framework because it made me think of the show Arrested Development – I even mentioned this in my article. I use this example because one character in the show is the epitome of arrested development more than any other character. My theory is, that this show centers around this character and the family adjusting and meeting the needs of this character’s immaturity. I am talking about Buster Bluth (Tony Hale).
In retrospect of the show, all characters show a form of stunted maturity have it be Gob (Will Arnett), Lindsay (Portia Di Rossi), or even Michael (Jason Bateman) in dealing with his son George Michael (Michael Cera). But it is Buster who exemplifies the spirit of the show. An analysis from CharacTour suggests:
“Buster can’t seem to function in the adult world. He can barely function in the child one. His frequent panic attacks and dislike of both open and closed spaces have kept him at his mother’s side for far too long.”
The frequent panic attacks are like the AED of young people entering the workforce. They are scared and underprepared for adulthood – although they don’t show it to comedic effect like Buster in the show, it is there in the many articles and outlines about adults becoming adults – and failing to do so.
The upsetting realization of AED is that it is not an end-stage. The process of AED is both an effector and affected by the other characteristics in the framework, meaning that AED eventually leads to further socio-economic infantilization, narcissism, andragogical deficit, and so on, and so on. The good news is that AED is a loop, a change in one area – have it be a better understanding of socio-economic actions, calling out and limiting narcissism, or enhancing andragogical competency – could break the loop altogether. If you feel attached to this in any way and want to make a change, this is something to consider.
***
Is this information I presented actualized, rather than just anecdotal? Also, who is to blame for this recent trend? For the first question, a lot of the stories presented are anecdotal, but a lot of the statistics show an upsetting trend within our society. I mention additional research needs to be done with participants to assess AED – starting with small-scale studies and building up to larger cohorts.
For the second question, I think we all must take some of the blame for this. From our parenting styles to policies in higher education, to how we market products to individuals, and even how we attempt to see society for ourselves in the past, present, and future. I point out some of the popular feelings of leftist-Marxism and neoliberalism that enhance infantilization. From the WEF suggesting “you will own nothing and be happy” to the Freirean/Marcusian/Gramscian ideology of ‘returning to critical consciousness to create a happy utopia;’ these are all examples of infantilization in their way. Even now you see the temper tantrums of pro-Hamas protestors screeching about colonialism, not only are they uninformed – but they are wildly juvenile in how they get their point across. Yelling, screeching, and ripping down posters they don’t like (pouty face). Infantilization is out in the open, and there is nothing we can do about it. However, we can ask ourselves, do we tolerate this?
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