{"id":7588,"date":"2015-10-13T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2015-10-13T11:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=7588"},"modified":"2015-10-12T19:49:48","modified_gmt":"2015-10-12T23:49:48","slug":"why-college-students-arent-ready-for-real-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/10\/why-college-students-arent-ready-for-real-life.html","title":{"rendered":"Why College Students Aren’t Ready for Real Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"depressed<\/a>For 30 years I have taught in medical schools and universities. This generation is different.\u00a0They are\u00a0more anxious and suffer from higher rates of\u00a0anxiety disorders.\u00a0\u00a0And what I am about to say is a\u00a0generalization. Not all college kids are anxious and acting like victims. But for those who are, listen up. We have a number of stressed out kids, not coping well with life.<\/p>\n

Since they were kids, this generation has seen an unprecedented protectiveness from parents. Gone are the days of roaming the neighborhood, entertaining yourself and dealing with boredom. Instead we have consistently given the message that the world is unsafe and we can protect you from harm. You must be entertained and lead with your emotions, especially when you are offended.<\/p>\n

In our\u00a0politically correct culture, all things potentially offend someone. Consider these statements that have been cited as offensive on college campuses:<\/p>\n

America is the land of opportunity.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The most qualified person should get the job.<\/em><\/p>\n

Really? Individual\u00a0differences are handled by vilifying people and silencing\u00a0critical thinking. Be like me or don’t speak. Offend me and I \u00a0report you. Then add the power of social media to underscore authority\u00a0and\u00a0destroy reputations with no accountability. Basically, students have few conflict resolution skills or even the ability to tolerate distress. Part of the blame is on us as parents–we overprotected, took care of every problem and didn’t allow for competition or failure.<\/p>\n

How does all of this relate to anxiety and college students? Those highly anxious stressed kids\u00a0(and yes, I am making a generalization here) can’t tolerate differences, difficulty or divergent thinking. Emotional<\/em> reasoning leads the way and determines what is offensive. Civil debate is gone.<\/p>\n

We have given in to this constant complaining\u00a0through more political correctness and speech restrictions instead of telling students to grow up, deal with the real world and learn to tolerate their\u00a0feelings of frustration.<\/p>\n

We have created campuses of homogeneity, where students don’t have to deal with divergent views. They aren’t forced to work through\u00a0their negative and disquieting feelings –the treatment for anxiety.<\/p>\n

To deal with anxiety, you have to be exposed to the triggers, tolerate them and move through the process. But on college campuses, we coddle and try to protect students from bad feelings. It’s the wrong approach.<\/p>\n

One day, anxious and stressed students\u00a0will face the real world of diversity and offense. Will they be prepared to handle it given the atmosphere of most\u00a0university campuses?<\/p>\n

We have to ask, are we really surprised that anxiety rates have risen?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For 30 years I have taught in medical schools and universities. This generation is different.\u00a0They are\u00a0more anxious and suffer from higher rates of\u00a0anxiety disorders.\u00a0\u00a0And what I am about to say is a\u00a0generalization. Not all college kids are anxious and acting like victims. But for those who are, listen up. We have a number of stressed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[925],"tags":[135,3409,3408,3174,78,1972],"class_list":["post-7588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mintle-mentions","tag-anxiety","tag-coddling-students","tag-college-campuses","tag-college-students","tag-offense","tag-political-correctness"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy College Students Aren't Ready for Real Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/10\/why-college-students-arent-ready-for-real-life.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why College Students Aren't Ready for Real Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For 30 years I have taught in medical schools and universities. This generation is different.\u00a0They are\u00a0more anxious and suffer from higher rates of\u00a0anxiety disorders.\u00a0\u00a0And what I am about to say is a\u00a0generalization. Not all college kids are anxious and acting like victims. But for those who are, listen up. 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Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. 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