Requiring trigger warnings in university course syllabi seems a well intentioned exercise in symbolic politics, in which the terminology of psychology has been enlisted, but its meaning lost. The policy language proposed at some universities borrows the concept of trauma triggers from psychologists' understanding of PTSD, but would extend the meaning of trauma far beyond the criteria set out in DSM-5. Moreover, the idea that university professors can predict and warn against trauma triggers in course materials runs counter to what psychological research has shown about trauma triggers. Unlike the stressors that can cause PTSD, even seemingly neutral objects, colors and locations associated with past trauma can be triggers. Just as accommodations are made for other individuals with disabilities or medical needs, universities can accommodate the needs of individual students with PTSD without the chilling effects on academic freedom and scholarly inquiry that a general requirement for trigger warnings would inevitably create.
