Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?

Psychological comfort derived from constant validation is proportional to the development of critical thinking and open-mindedness.

Although constant validation provides a sense of psychological ease, it substantially hampers the growth of critical thinking and open-mindedness.

The development of critical thinking and open-mindedness is only possible when psychological comfort is continuously challenged.

While continuous validation is psychologically beneficial, it unintentionally supports the development of critical thinking and open-mindedness.