Concept Creep or Meaningful Expansion? Response to Haslam

Avoiding Irrelevance: The manifestation and impacts of technophobia in psychological science

“…This can, and does, undermine key features of genuine problematic behaviors and dilute interventions should they be necessary-arguably seen in the current technology addictions literature. Hence, we encounter a substantial issue of distinguishing between concept creeps and insightful expansion (Cascardi & Brown, 2016). (Sewlyn, 2011, p. 82).…”

Do Concepts Creep to the Left and the Right? Evidence for Ideologically Salient Concept Breadth Judgments Across the Political Spectrum

“…However, Niemi and Young (2016) argue that the expansion of concepts allow disadvantaged groups to express how cultural pressures lead to their overt and covert victimization. This subsequently opens the possibility of third parties being able to act on the behalf of disadvantaged groups to prevent harm (Cascardi & Brown, 2016; Cikara, 2016). There may also be opportunities to label previously confusing experiences, which affords greater access to health care and other support services (Haslam & McGrath, 2020).…”

“…In the mental health domain, several people have observed the dilution of diagnostic criteria for issues such as depression (which now does not exempt grief; Boelen et al, 2019; Hari, 2018) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; which now encompasses a range of potential triggers, including economic, social, and political hardship; McNally, 2016). While these may seem to be the excesses of concept creep, others have argued that these types of conceptual expansions provide an entry point for people gaining access to treatment where they otherwise may have suffered in isolation (Cascardi & Brown, 2016). In the research context, social psychologists studying concepts related to prejudice have found that expanding the range of target groups in their research has opened up the possibility to identify a range of politically-symmetric motivations for ingroup/outgroup biases (Brandt, 2017; Brandt & Crawford, 2019; Crawford & Brandt, 2020; Ditto et al, 2019; Mallinas et al, 2018).…”

Do Concepts Creep to the Left and the Right? Evidence for Ideologically-Salient Concept Breadth Judgments Across the Political Spectrum

“…While Haslam (2016) states that he is essentially ambivalent in relation to the potential positive or negative implications of concept creep, he does this alongside the claim that "concept creep runs the risk of pathologizing everyday experience and encouraging a sense of virtuous but impotent victimhood" (p. 1), potentially overlooking some of the practical and academic benefits of concept creep (Cascardi & Brown, 2016;Cikara, 2016). The sociologist Frank Furedi (2016) is more sympathetic to Haslam's (2016) concerns, suggesting that concept creep gives a perception of legitimacy to a cultural trend towards the encouragement and sacralization of vulnerability and victimhood (see also Campbell & Manning, 2018).…”

“…McNally, 2016). While these may seem to be the excesses of concept creep, others have argued that these types of conceptual expansions provide an entry point for people gaining access to treatment where they otherwise may have suffered in isolation (Cascardi & Brown, 2016). In the research context, social psychologists studying concepts related to prejudice have found that expanding the range of target groups in their research has opened up the possibility to identify a range of politically-symmetric motivations for ingroup/outgroup biases (Brandt, 2017;Brandt & Crawford, 2019;Crawford & Brandt, 2020;Ditto et al, 2019;Mallinas et al, 2018).…”