The Dangers of "Concept Creep"

The Dangers of "Concept Creep"

Trauma. Violence. Bullying. Addiction. The range of things that these words encompass has expanded over time, and while my guest today would say that changes in how language is used are natural and inevitable, he also argues that the way we use words matters and has consequences, and that we need to better grapple with what those consequences are.

His name is Dr. Nick Haslam and he's a professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne who has studied a phenomenon he calls "concept creep," which refers to the tendency of concepts having to do with harm — from trauma to depression — to broaden their meaning over time. Nick describes how concept creep happens in two ways — vertical and horizontal — and occurs both amongst clinicians and the general public. He explains what he thinks is behind concept creep, and how the way we talk about harm-related concepts changes how people experience themselves and life, bringing new kinds of identities and new kinds of people into existence. Nick argues that while there are upsides to concept creep, it also carries potential dangers that can negatively impact our lives.

Resources Related to the PodcastConnect With Nick Haslam

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episoder(1158)

Boots, Tents, Sleeping Bags, and More: How to Choose and Use Outdoor Gear

Boots, Tents, Sleeping Bags, and More: How to Choose and Use Outdoor Gear

A fair amount of gear is involved in making a camping or backpacking trip a success, and choosing that gear can be a little intimidating as there are lots of options, and it's expensive to boot.Here t...

19 Aug 202448min

The Habits of Highly Effective Risk-Takers

The Habits of Highly Effective Risk-Takers

You may know Nate Silver as an election forecaster. But he’s a poker player as well. And his experiences operating in a world of competition and risk led him to explore what his fellow gamblers, as we...

14 Aug 202443min

Practicing Spiritual Disciplines as an Act of Resistance

Practicing Spiritual Disciplines as an Act of Resistance

To train the body, strengthening its muscles, increasing its cardiovascular health, and improving its agility, you need to do exercises like stretching, running, and lifting weights.To train the soul,...

12 Aug 202458min

The Science of Motivating Your Kids (And Any Young Adult)

The Science of Motivating Your Kids (And Any Young Adult)

If you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or manager who lives, loves, and works with tweens, teens, and 20s-somethings, you know that young people sometimes act in seemingly head-scratching ways, that you ...

7 Aug 202451min

Lose Weight and Keep It Off With Flexible Dieting

Lose Weight and Keep It Off With Flexible Dieting

When many people try to lose weight, they choose a specific, cookie-cutter diet that claims to be the one true way to shed pounds. My guest says that approach is bound to backfire, and that there's a ...

5 Aug 202448min

How to Resist Group Anxiety and Become a Differentiated Self

How to Resist Group Anxiety and Become a Differentiated Self

When we think about anxiety, we typically think of something that is generated and felt within an individual. But Murray Bowen, a psychiatrist of the mid-20th century, argued that anxiety was also cre...

31 Jul 202455min

The Vital Skills We’re Losing to Technology (And How to Reclaim Them)

The Vital Skills We’re Losing to Technology (And How to Reclaim Them)

Do moments where you run up against your dependence on modern technology get you wondering about the ways some of your personal capabilities seem to be atrophying?Graham Lee has spent years thinking a...

29 Jul 202449min

How to Know When It's Time to Break Up With Your Job

How to Know When It's Time to Break Up With Your Job

You have a relationship with family, with friends, with a romantic partner. You may not have thought about it this way, but you also have a relationship with your job — a quite serious one, in fact; a...

24 Jul 202449min

Populært innen Fakta

mikkels-paskenotter
fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
foreldreradet
treningspodden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-bisarr-historie
hverdagspsyken
sinnsyn
rss-kull
gravid-uke-for-uke
fryktlos
level-up-med-anniken-binz
rss-kunsten-a-leve
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
hagespiren-podcast
uroskolen
hva-er-greia-med