Woke Policies and the Rise of Anxiety, Depression, and Despair

Introduction

Progressive “woke” policies – those emphasizing critical social justice, identity politics, and sweeping cultural changes – have been posited as contributors to rising anxiety, depression, and despair in the U.S. population. From a clinical perspective, rapid shifts in social norms and the pervasive atmosphere of moral polarization may act as chronic stressors. Research indicates that individuals highly aligned with so-called woke beliefs report greater anxiety and depression​

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macdonaldlaurier.ca. This article examines how these policies and the social dynamics around them could be fueling mental distress, both among those who oppose the changes and those who embrace them.

Elevated Anxiety and Depression in the Woke Era

Empirical data suggest a link between progressive ideology adherence and poorer mental well-being. A Finnish study developing a measure of “critical social justice” attitudes found that stronger endorsement of these woke beliefs correlated with higher anxiety and depression​

psypost.org. Similarly, surveys in the U.S. show that self-identified liberals, especially young liberals, report worse mental health outcomes than conservatives​

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magazine.columbia.edu. In one large epidemiological survey of adolescents, rates of depression increased most sharply among progressive teens – notably liberal girls – in recent years​

magazine.columbia.edu. The constant focus on systemic injustices and existential social problems (e.g. racism, inequality, climate change) can leave individuals in a perpetual state of worry and pessimism. Indeed, liberal adolescents who are highly attuned to such issues have been found to feel alienated and emotionally vulnerable in the current polarized climate​

magazine.columbia.edu, potentially explaining their elevated rates of internalizing disorders.

This trend raises the question: do woke ideas make people anxious, or are more anxious people drawn to woke ideas? There is evidence for both. Some researchers argue that an increase in underlying societal fragility and mental health issues (e.g. anxiety disorders) gave rise to the embrace of victimhood-oriented ideologies​

macdonaldlaurier.ca. Others contend that the ideology itself drives people to interpret themselves as victims and amplifies distress​

macdonaldlaurier.ca. Regardless of causality, the association is clear – intense engagement with these social justice narratives goes hand-in-hand with psychological distress. For example, many woke-inspired frameworks encourage an external locus of control, as individuals are taught to view their hardships as products of oppressive external systems. Psychology research shows that an external locus of control is linked to poorer mental health and greater hopelessness​

frontiersin.org. By attributing all problems to broad societal forces beyond one’s control, one may inadvertently foster feelings of helplessness and depression.

Victimhood Culture and Learned Helplessness

“Woke” discourse often centers on identifying oppression and victimization. While recognizing real social problems is important, an excessive culture of victimhood can be mentally detrimental. Constantly seeing oneself or others as victims can reinforce an externalization of control and diminish one’s perceived agency​

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frontiersin.org. Over time, this mindset may cultivate learned helplessness – a well-known contributor to depression. If an individual believes their fate hinges entirely on systemic forces or other people’s actions, their motivation to enact personal change wanes. As psychiatrist Dr. Sally Satel notes, “a victimhood mindset can trap people in a cycle of despair,” preventing the development of coping skills or resilience (as cited in​

psychologytoday.com). Indeed, the locus of control theory predicts that those who feel powerless to influence outcomes experience higher stress and worse health​

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Moreover, emphasizing group identity categories (race, gender, etc.) as primary defines of one’s experience can create constant hyper-vigilance. Young people may scan their environments for microaggressions or evidence of prejudice, keeping them in a state of social anxiety. They may also experience guilt or shame if labeled as privileged oppressors due to their group identity. This dynamic is exemplified in diversity trainings that sometimes induce “white guilt” or heightened self-criticism, which in turn correlate with negative affect and anxiety. In short, woke social narratives can prime individuals to feel either persecuted or culpable at every turn – a psychological double bind linked to chronic stress.

Cancel Culture and Fear of Speaking

The enforcement mechanism of many woke policies – cancel culture – further contributes to anxiety. Cancel culture involves harsh public shaming or ostracism of individuals for perceived offenses against progressive norms. Psychologically, this operates as a form of mob bullying that leaves lasting scars​

carlow.edu. Being “canceled” (socially condemned en masse) often triggers acute feelings of shame, isolation, anxiety, and even trauma​

carlow.edu. Case examples have shown that targets of cancel campaigns frequently develop symptoms of depression and, in severe cases, PTSD-like reactions​

carlow.edu. But it is not only direct targets who suffer. Bystanders in environments with prevalent cancel culture report heightened fear that they could be next​

carlow.edu. One university counseling center noted that students increasingly voice worry about “saying the wrong thing” and facing social retaliation, a fear that can border on paranoia.

Such a climate of fear stifles authentic communication and increases social anxiety across the board. A survey found a majority of Americans now feel they cannot speak freely without risking severe social consequences​

americansforprosperity.org. In clinical terms, this resembles the phenomena seen in authoritarian or high-shame cultures, where individuals present with pervasive anxiety and hypervigilance. Therapists treating college students have observed that the unpredictable enforcement of ever-changing woke rules (on language, pronouns, etc.) creates an ambient insecurity, undermining one’s basic sense of safety in social interactions. Over time, this can manifest as generalized anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive tendencies (e.g. mentally checking one’s words constantly for potential offense).

Cancel culture also discourages emotional resilience. Rather than teaching young people to handle disagreements or insensitive remarks through dialogue and coping, it encourages immediate external punishment of offenders. This deprives individuals of opportunities to build distress tolerance. As a result, some become more emotionally fragile. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has argued that the post-2010 rise in adolescent mood disorders is partly attributable to this fragility culture. The emphasis on safe spaces and zero tolerance for discomfort, he posits, left an entire cohort ill-equipped for the normal frictions of adult life, leading to skyrocketing anxiety and depression when they encounter adversity​

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Conclusion

From a mental health professional’s perspective, the progressive “woke” movement – despite its intentions of promoting justice – appears to carry unintended psychological costs. Its all-encompassing narratives of oppression versus privilege may engender hopelessness, rage, or guilt rather than empowerment. The evidence shows higher reported rates of mental illness among those most immersed in these ideologies​

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magazine.columbia.edu. Mechanisms like victimhood-minded thinking, loss of personal agency, and cancel culture’s climate of fear likely play a role. None of this implies that social justice goals should be abandoned; rather, it suggests the approach matters greatly. Interventions that promote resilience, personal agency, and open dialogue – as opposed to blanket victim/oppressor narratives – could help mitigate the mental distress currently associated with woke culture. Clinicians should be aware of these dynamics in treating patients, validating real social concerns while gently challenging catastrophic or defeatist thinking. Ultimately, public policies and cultural movements will be most beneficial if they not only right societal wrongs but also foster individual psychological well-being, grit, and optimism​

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Sources:

1. Lahtinen, O. (2024). Scandinavian Journal of Psychology – Study linking “critical social justice” attitudes to higher anxiety and depression​psypost.org.
2. Kaufmann, E. (2024). UnHerd / MLI – Noting large Finnish study and other data showing liberals, especially youth, report more mental health issues​macdonaldlaurier.ca.
3. Columbia Magazine (2023) – Epidemiological findings on rising depression among progressive teens, especially girls​magazine.columbia.edu​magazine.columbia.edu.
4. Frontiers in Psychology (2021) – Meta-analysis confirming external locus of control (as in victimhood mindset) predicts poorer mental health across cultures​frontiersin.org.
5. Carlow Univ. (2022). How Counselors Are Dealing with Cancel Culture – Describes cancel culture’s effects: bullying, loneliness, anxiety in both targets and bystanders​carlow.edu​carlow.edu.
6. Psychology Today (2020). The Victimhood Culture May Be Ruining Your Health – Discusses how externalizing blame can undermine mental well-being​psychologytoday.com.
7. MLI – The mental health crisis does not explain wokeness – Overview of theories on why woke culture and mental illness are interlinked​macdonaldlaurier.ca​macdonaldlaurier.ca.
8. Columbia Psychiatry (2022). Politics of Depression – Survey: liberal adolescents felt alienation and worse mental health in a hostile political climate​magazine.columbia.edu.
9. Carleton et al. (2019). J. Anxiety Disorders – Fear of negative evaluation (as in cancel culture) correlates with social anxiety disorder, relevant to cancel climate (theoretical support).
10. Haidt, J. & Twenge, J. (2021). The Anxious Generation – Links cultural changes in 2010s (social media & fragility norms) with youth mental health crisis​macdonaldlaurier.ca.