WKCTC Non-Fiction Book Club presents discussion of "The Anxious Generation" October 11
Paducah, KY (09/24/2024) — West Kentucky Community and Technical College's Non-Fiction Book Club invites the community to participate in a discussion for the book The Anxious Generation, by Johnathan Haidt on October 11, beginning at 11 a.m. in the college's Waller Hall 112. The event is free and open to the public.
In the book social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the facts of the epidemic of teen mental illness, and how it relates to the arrival of the "phone-based childhood" in the early 2010s. The Anxious Generation investigates childhood and why children need play and exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this "great rewiring of childhood" has interfered with children's social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism.
"Anecdotally I have witnessed a change in the student body over the last several years," said Steven Cahill, WKCTC associate professor of biological science. "Is it social media, 24/7 internet access, or related to the pandemic? Is any of this real or is it just a moral panic over changes in technology?"
Cahill will present the book and its major themes for the round table discussion. He said discussion points will include, "If the students have changed, what might be the cause? Who is affected-is it just young people or are others affected? Most importantly, what can we do about it?"
Copies of the book are available in electronic format and hard copies at the WKCTC's Matheson Library.The book club selects titles for faculty, staff, students and the community to read each term.For more information, contact Cahill at steven.cahill@kctcs.edu or 270-534-3242.
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