The Significance of "Triggered".

We see this term being thrown about the board and in society in general with increasing frequency. As if to say that they are somehow out of control. Do you know where this term comes from? Parents of autistic children do. It's something that will set off their child.

Most people can experience frustration, stress, or anxiety in everyday life situations. There are people who learn how to cope so well that stress or anxiety has little impact on them. But for others, including individuals with ASD, stress and anxiety can cripple them to varying degrees. Remember, situations that create anxiety in one individual may not for another. What are some common stressors that individuals with ASD might experience? The following examples of common stressors at home and at school are suggested by Dr. Chuck Edington (2010) in his presentation, Emotional Regulation and Anxiety Management in Autism, and from the brochure, “Anxiety Disorders in Children” from the Anxiety Disorder Association of America (ADAA, partial listings):

Unstructured Time: Unstructured time that has no specific rules or activity which creates boundaries or limits can be very challenging.

Academic Situations

Sensory issues can be triggered almost any time or anywhere on a daily basis. Whether the individual is experiencing an anxious moment or not, sensory integration challenges can overpower a person’s ability to control him or herself.

Social situations are already challenging for individuals with ASD and can increase anxiety in the moment or even in anticipation of an upcoming event.

Routines: After a day at school where the child was able to maintain body control, listen, complete activities, and appear composed, going home and having even more expectations including typical routines, can increase anxiety and agitation.

www.iidc.indiana.edu...

Examples of these are found in the article buut not necessarily needed for this post. Read them if you wish, some good insight there.

Secondly "triggered" is a phrase used for people that have PTSD.

A trauma trigger is an experience that causes someone to recall a previous traumatic memory, although the trigger itself need not be frightening or traumatic and can be indirectly or superficially reminiscent of an earlier traumatic incident. Trauma triggers are related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition in which people often cannot control the recurrence of emotional or physical symptoms,[1] or of repressed memory.[2][3][4] Triggers can be subtle and difficult to anticipate,[1][5] and can sometimes exacerbate PTSD. A trauma trigger may also be referred to as a trauma stimulus or a trauma stressor.

en.wikipedia.org...

Those triggers can be anything like the sound of a wind chime, or a certain smell. This leads to the person experiencing the traumatic event over again.

Neither of these conditions are pleasant for the individual or their families. Flippant use of this term, be it for self entertainment value or merely because it's floating out there, belittles what a great many people go through. So think twice before using this term in a casual manner.

a reply to: intrepid

AND it means the person actually is ready for combat as a result of negative stimuli ,not angry at a measly,semantic, ARGUMENT.
It's like how HATE is thrown around when "angry at" is COMPLETELY off the table...if your opinion is from the wrong truth.

I agree intrepid. It is a serious problem for those who suffer and not those of us who are just thin skinned.

a reply to: intrepid

I heard the word triggered more than 20 years ago when researching Self Inflicted Injury and Eating disorders.

It's the only reference where I've seen it used until recently.

Pathetic us of an important words in my opinion.

peace

a reply to: intrepid

"Oh, did my words bruise your soul?"

"Oh, does that mean you're offended?"

"Oh, did my action leave you in distress?"

"Oh, does this leave you with discomfort?"

"Oh, so that's what it looks like to get burned?"


Just throwing out some replacement ideas..

Its just one more example of how damn near everything will offend someone these days.

Good. Now make a thread about the over-use of the word "snowflake".

So now the word triggered is a trigger for classical PTSD etc types?

Doubtful.

It seems to be with these phoney PTSD kids though, and that makes the word priceless.

And as far as I've gathered they brought the word upon themselves with their trigger warning sticker self censorship (quazi book burning) BS. When I first encountered it's modern use it seemed like something their critics would have crafted for them, which seemed brilliant lol, but then I saw the article of them going thru putting those stickers on like every book in the school libraries. The walking right into a joke metric with this thing is as brazen as their whole scene is straight out of the twilight zone.

Everyone will find some word offensive, when will that big rock hit us?

🙄

originally posted by: cavtrooper7
a reply to: intrepid

AND it means the person actually is ready for combat as a result of negative stimuli ,not angry at a measly,semantic, ARGUMENT.

Much of what you're describing is articulated well in this post from The Oatmeal. He's a cartoonist so there are lots of cute little pictures included, but the truth captured no less succinctly as a result.


For those who don't have time to read it, the main gist is that when we encounter information that violates our worldview, the same part of the brain is activated that deals with a physical threat.

theoatmeal.com...

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Also does it offend those who've been through substance abuse classes? The word trigger was used for quite a while to describe something or someone that "triggered" a person to go back to drug use. Or were they also being offensive to ptsd/asd people?

Edit: didn't mean to reply to you lol. Was a meant as a general thread reply

originally posted by: angeldoll
Good. Now make a thread about the over-use of the word "snowflake".

Don't want to offend winter?

What is with you sensitive types?

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
So now the word triggered is a trigger for classical PTSD etc types?

No, but people who use the word in political conversations are super lame. Anyone who needs labels to make their arguments for them probably didn't have a very good argument to begin with.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Yeah. Get a good case of Combat PTSD, come home, and hear something that throws you into a panic attack in the middle of a restaurant or somewhere. You'd be talking out of the other side of you mouth then.

originally posted by: knowledgehunter0986
a reply to: intrepid

"Oh, did my words bruise your soul?"

"Oh, does that mean you're offended?"

"Oh, did my action leave you in distress?"

"Oh, does this leave you with discomfort?"

"Oh, so that's what it looks like to get burned?"


Just throwing out some replacement ideas..

I think it's best if we use an expression that leaves no doubt that we're huge asshats, and that we KNOW we're huge asshats, and that the world would be better off if we were vaporized.

Something like: "AWWWWWWWWW Yeah, son. You just got F'd in the A by an Eskimo, chilliwax!"

Just an idea. I mean, once we start using the term "trigger" we're pretty much already there.

a reply to: angeldoll

Show us one testimonial that the word triggered triggers combat vets. I won't be holding my breath.

a reply to: intrepid

With all due respect, I refuse to self-censor.

a reply to: RickyD

Yeah I've got a bunch of various psychology sorts of documentaries from different periods, and never too much noted the phrase but lately I've been reviewing them all for my project and have been noticing the word quite a bit now that I've a cognitive bias to note it being used.

This idea that the word itself is too offensive is something like saying the word psychology is.

Cases like this are troubling to me.
On one hand, within reason I can see not using a word that offends others. But where do we draw the line.

I try not to say the word retarded as I feel it can hurt feelings, and I do work with people with disabilities. When I did use the word, I never meant it to harm people with disabilities.

But triggered seems to be more of a stretch.

"I ate some peanuts and it triggered an allergic reaction" Is that person belittle PTSD and autism? I would argue it has been used in this way possibly before it was with autism or PTSD.

And there seem to be much more clear cut examples of using words hyperboliclly that could cause mental harm

Like calling Trump hitler, or his supporters nazis. How do you think that makes an acual holocaust survivor feel?

Having said that, I think the word trigger is overused like snowflake.

But I think this is a strecth to avoid hit for hurting the groups mentioned.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

I wasn't talking about the word triggered, only it's orgins and clinical usage. That's not what I said anyway. You seem to be having a conversation with yourself, since you aren't addressing anything I actually said. You are apparently the one who has disdain for ignorance. I was just trying to help you out of it. A fraction of it, anyway.