Trigger warnings are warnings at the beginning of a blog, article, or video that indicates
the emotional distress and potential trauma that an audience can have upon reading, listening, or
viewing. The blog, article, and video may include items such as suicide, rape, sexual abuse,
among others. The study discusses the views that other authors have toward adopting trigger
warnings concept in a college context. The trigger warnings concept started as a small topic and
has spread in various areas that include education. The use of trigger warnings has helped
individuals, especially post-traumatic stress disorder victims, preserve their mental health. Post-
traumatic stress trigger warnings disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that occurs after individual
witnesses an event that is life-threatening, such as a car accident, natural disaster, or sexual
assault. Colleges should implement trigger warnings to provide a suitable learning
environment for students who have post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to lindy west, freedom of expression is not hindered by trigger warnings
(West, np). Adopting trigger warnings is not to eliminate challenging syllabus concepts or allow
students to excuse themselves from various programs. Lindy West states that a trigger warnings
aims to increase engagement by allowing the learners with trauma histories to manage their
health. In the article by Lindy West, Mary sue attest that trigger warnings are not associated with
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limiting his engagement with content, but it assists her in preparing for what she might
withstand. Adopting trigger warnings is attending the students with PTSD needs. It expands
academic freedom but does not hinder it (Medina, 333). Trigger warnings began on social media
and have mitigated to academic. Some of the trainers have added trigger warnings to syllabuses
providing a chance for trauma survivors to prepare before the lesson emotionally. As stated by
West, some students have understood trigger warnings and requested them in their academic
programs. An incident of trigger warnings requests by the student has ever been depicted at
Oberlin College even though the request was turned down (West, np). The article by Lindy West
shows the importance of adopting trigger warnings in the college.
Jon Overton states that society should consider people suffering from psychological
illness, including student suffering from PTSD. Overton suggests that professors should
encourage Students who have PTSD to avail any information on anything in the syllabus that
may trigger troubling memories and find a solution. Overton reveals that trigger warnings can be
a threat to essential topics and conversations in college. Overton's study shown higher education
has started applying trigger warnings due to the increased number of a student suffering Post-
traumatic stress disorder (OVERTON, np). Oberlin College has surged forward in the campaign
of adopting trigger warnings in college by issuing a policy that instructed the instructors to
segregate any triggering material that does not contribute directly to the course learning goals.
The policy by Oberlin College demands the instructors to go through the syllabus thoroughly
before teaching. The importance of the syllabus's prior study is to reveal any content that may
lead to a negative effect on Post-traumatic stress disorders students. The University of California
students encouraged schools to list all the potential triggers on the syllabus advocated for the
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students to be allowed to have an early leave incase a triggering content arises. Literature is
among the subjects that have led having triggering content. The challenge in triggering warnings
is the instructors determining the course material that may trigger different students' painful
memories.
Brianne Richson supports that college should adopt trigger warnings. Richson states that
every human has a memory that he/she wishes that it should never come back. This statement is
used to support the essence of assisting students with Post-traumatic stress disorder. The
discussion has emerged on handling various prominent issues that include race and sexual assault
topics, which may affect the people living with Post-traumatic stress disorder. According to
Richson, people with PTSD do not have to learn topics traumatic to them as they have already
lived it. A perfect scenario is discussing the effects of sexual harassment on a girl who has
experienced a rape case. The challenge with Post-traumatic stress disorder is that it can occur on
any surface, including education, following a traumatic event. Humans are different, and not
everyone can handle issues immediately after trauma, and it makes it essential for the colleges to
care about all the students, including the ones with PTSD. Richson supports that adopting the
trigger warnings provides the right learning environment instead of living hell to trauma
survivors (RICHSON, np). The students who have Post-traumatic stress disorder find difficulty
watching and listening to concepts that cause pain in remembrance of a specific incident.
The article by Eyal Press shows that the students need trigger warnings. The campus
student protested to raise their concern about the potentially disturbing texts in their syllabus.
The students pointed out the material, The Great Gatsby, which has disturbing text that may
harm a student that has Post-traumatic stress disorder. The students demanded the college to the
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adoption of trigger warnings that will save their brains. The article shows that the students had
demanded trigger warnings in various materials that include Antigone play. Eyal Press reveals
abortion, the gun debate, immigration, and campus rape to be among the most sensitive concepts
that bring discomfort among many students. The concepts are so deep into students that some
provide their own experiences in term papers and interviews while others are strongly affected to
the point that they cannot discuss the issue (Press, np). The Eyal Press article depicts that most of
the students feel affected by some concepts, but they cannot express their feeling as they fear the
professor's reaction. The adoption of trigger warnings will assist students in gathering courage
and air out whatever offends them.
The trigger warnings should not be underestimated in its contribution to helping students
to grow healthy emotionally. The PTSD students benefit from the techniques as it ensures no
students are likely to suffer from rekindled trauma. Trigger warnings should not apply only to
students from PTSD but all students. Creating an environment that will curb the challenges faced
by students in overcoming future trauma. After trauma, effects can damage the life of a student.
However, there is no written formula that directs a tutor when to use the trigger warnings. The
professors are demanded to develop skills that will help them evaluate and derive the concept or
materials that require a trigger warnings. The professors must have the basic knowledge of
understanding the value of human welfare that includes emotional wellbeing
(HealtCareDailyOnline, np). As stated by healthcare daily online, the interaction between the
student and the teacher has a significant effect on performance. The article evaluates whether the
introduction of trigger warnings in college will hurt or harm the students. The study shows that
the trigger warnings will have a positive impact on a student's life.
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Trigger warnings are of significance to trauma and PSTD victims. Trigger warnings are
implemented to help students prepare mentally for upcoming content that may make them
emotionally distressed to the extent that it results in a mental breakdown. Students who feel
uncomfortable about an issue take most of their time concentrating on reconnecting themselves
instead of studying. The trigger warnings can be used to eradicate the challenge in colleges and
provide a peaceful environment for all the students to study, including the people with post-
traumatic stress disorder. National Alliance on mental illness states that a more significant
percentage of a college student who drops out of school is mental health (Lockhart, 63). Trigger
warnings will improve the number of college students graduating. This is because PTSD students
will be motivated to complete their course. The trigger warnings do not limit education but only
allow individuals to walk away from the class when the content is hugely unethical.
In conclusion, trigger warnings should be implemented in colleges. The study has
evaluated various discussions in various articles and finds enough information to support trigger
warnings to be adopted in colleges. Students who have PTSD demand the method more than the
usual students. They are easily affected by past traumatic events that may attract memories from
previous incidents that resulted in trauma. Different authors in the study indicate that there is the
benefit of introducing the trigger warnings in college. The people living with PTSD are easily
affected in their education by material that results in painful memories. The study recommends
colleges to adopt trigger warnings as it will reduce the mental illness experienced in institutions
and the real world.
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Work Cited
HealtCareDailyOnline, HealtCareDailyOnline. Healthcaredailyonline.Com, 2016,
https://www.healthcaredailyonline.com/trigger-warnings-in-the-college-classroom-are-
they-helping-or-hurting/.
Lockhart, Eleanor Amaranth. "Why trigger warnings are beneficial, perhaps even
necessary." First Amendment Studies 50.2 (2016): 59-69.
Medina, Jennifer. "Warning: The literary canon could make students squirm." The New York
Times 17 (2014): 333-53.
OVERTON, JON. "Overton: Beware The Trigger warnings – The Daily Iowan". Web-
Server2.Daily-Iowan.Uiowa.Edu, 2020, http://web-server2.daily-
iowan.uiowa.edu/2014/05/07/Opinions/37841.html.
Press, Eyal. "Meanwhile, Back On Most Campuses". The American Prospect, 2016,
https://prospect.org/education/meanwhile-back-campuses/.
RICHSON, BRIANNE. "Richson: Colleges Should Adopt Trigger warnings". The Daily Iowan,
2020, https://dailyiowan.com/2014/05/06/richson-colleges-should-adopt-trigger-
warnings/.
West, Lindy. "Trigger warnings Don’T Hinder Freedom Of Expression: They Expand It | Lindy
West". The Guardian, 2015,
https://www.theguardian.com/education/commentisfree/2015/aug/18/trigger-warnings-
dont-hinder-freedom-expression.