Jordan Peterson may be an admirable political voice, but his self-help advice is dangerous

I’m one of millions of young people who’ve tried to live by Peterson’s rules, and it was utterly exhausting. A Danish psychologist who tells us to “throw away the self-help books” offers the only piece of advice we need.

Controversial Canadian psychologist and academic Jordan Peterson recently announced his next world tour. But as he re-emerges into the public eye after his own personal struggles, it’s critical that we reassess his influence, before more young people become indoctrinated by his self-help advice.

Peterson is best known for two things – his robust beliefs against political correctness, and his personal life advice. Often, he is criticised for the former, and praised for the latter. But it should be the other way round.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Peterson means well. In interviews, he often tears up while discussing people who’ve told him how much he’s changed their lives. And fair enough, this clearly shows that some people have benefited from his advice.

Even on this point though, I would argue that many people are just told what they want to hear from Peterson. All the advice to “grow up” and “take responsibility” feels good in the moment, but it’s just a temporary source of motivation that seems like a productive way to spend spare time.

Finally, last week, someone raised these concerns directly with Peterson. During an interview with  The Telegraph, journalist Steven Edginton asked Peterson, “Do you think there’s a danger that people listen to you uncritically?” Noting that much of Peterson’s audience includes young people who are “forming their opinions about the world,” Edginton suggested that this could lead to a Jordan Peterson “cult.” Strikingly, Peterson simply replied by saying that he hasn’t had this as a “specific worry.”

However, his life advice can have damaging effects, which I’ve experienced first-hand. As someone who’s fascinated by politics, I was drawn to his political discussions on YouTube. This then led me to his more general life advice videos. “You’re not okay the way you are,” he tells an audience in one of his public lectures. And herein lies the fundamental problem with Peterson’s advice.

Don’t get me wrong, I see where he’s coming from. He’s encouraging people to improve themselves, whether that means getting a better job, finding a partner, or eating more healthily. But listening to him made me feel like I must improve every aspect of my life. I found this mentally draining to say the least, and listening to him complain about all the “suffering” in the world was hardly an uplifting experience either.

This is the problem with the self-help culture that’s become so prominent today, particularly amongst young people. The very nature of the term suggests that we must fix the way we are. But this surely suggests that we’re not good enough, and must focus on everything that we don’t have.

In sharp contrast to Peterson, Danish psychologist  Svend Brinkmann says that we should “throw away the self-help books.” Arguing that this personal development craze is linked to rising rates of depression, here lies a blatant problem that our societies must address.

Edginton alluded to this in his interview with Peterson, saying that people can go “too far down the rabbit hole” with self-help advice. Peterson acknowledged that this is a “danger,” yet I’ve never heard him warn people against consuming too much of what he has to say.

Once again, I emphasise that Peterson isn’t intending to negatively impact people. The passion with which he talks about these subjects demonstrates great empathy, but I don’t think he fully recognises the dangers of his self-help preaching.

Regarding Peterson’s political beliefs, he certainly raises some sound points. He brilliantly articulates his thoughts on free speech, and has done more to stand up for this principle than most others. By  questioning, “Who’s going to define hate?” with regards to limiting free speech, he makes an argument that you rarely hear in the mainstream media.

Meanwhile, Peterson’s determination to speak freely should be applauded, though I disagree with him sometimes. One thing in particular that I don’t agree with is his trivialisation of men’s historic privileges over women. In one sense, he makes a valid point that both “men and women were  oppressed for centuries,” but to undervalue freedoms like the right to vote or own property is an ignorant assessment of history.

I must say, the way in which Peterson stands up to bullies is admirable. When journalist  Cathy Newman continually tried to trap him into saying things that he’d regret, he always stood up to her. Nobody’s words should be misconstrued, and people who do this for the sole purpose of winning an argument reveal their own lack of integrity. So I applaud him for frequently engaging in responsible disagreements.

When it comes to Peterson’s self-help advice though, I fear that his ability to communicate effectively prompts people to listen to him without question. You might argue, well, he’s a psychologist, so what’s there to be sceptical about?

But even by his own admission, he doesn’t offer the “typical” advice of one.

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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.