The Hidden Curriculum (1970) is a book by the psychiatrist Benson R. Snyder,[1] the then-Dean of Institute Relations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[2] Snyder advances a thesis that much of campus conflict and students' personal anxiety is caused by unstated academic and social norms. These hidden norms affect the ability to develop independently or think creatively, and form what Snyder calls the hidden curriculum. He illustrates his thesis with psychological studies and other research conducted at MIT and Wellesley College.