Today’s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.
“We need to stop endlessly repeating ‘You’re special’ and having children repeat that back,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. “Kids are self-centered enough already.”
Granted, there is that (apparently mis-attributed to) Socrates quote about how the youth of today aren’t anything at all like when he was growing up. But this is a study by, uh, psychologists. Who also came up with the study that Democrats are saner than Republicans. So we’re talking salt-grain territory here, but—and this is a big one—I agree with this study. Therefore, I accept its results. (Insert stupid ascii grin here.) Actually, it seems to be a fairly broad study.
Twenge and her colleagues, in findings to be presented at a workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory between 1982 and 2006.
The standardized inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses to such statements as “If I ruled the world, it would be a better place,” “I think I am a special person” and “I can live my life any way I want to.”
The researchers describe their study as the largest ever of its type and say students’ NPI scores have risen steadily since the current test was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said, two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982.
This explains much, like the propensity for many-pierced children to think that expressing themselves the way that they want should have no effect on getting the jobs they apply for. And apparently, it starts young:
As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques” in preschool: “I am special, I am special. Look at me.”
“Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism,” Twenge said. “By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube.”
Huh. I used that tune to teach my students the names of the Hebrew months. They learned them by the time they sang the tune twice. It’s an effective teaching tool.
By the way: In every generation, a report like this comes out. So we’re back to the salt shaker here—but I do think there is much more emphasis on the self than there was twenty years ago, and again forty years ago.
I’m from the era first called “the me generation,” and I always resented it. It isn’t all about me. It’s all about my generation.
Yeah, there goes that invisible ascii grin again.
Meryl this is interesting but its not as earth shattering as Ace’s (from ace of spades) discussion about Feminism 3.0. You should really check that out. :)
Here is the link:
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/216996.php
Sure, but can you come up with a mnemonic to remember what years are leap years?
Geez, Meryl. I’m one generation older than you; I’m a baby boomer. I didn’t think any generation could be more self-absorbed than mine. Then your came along. And now this.
And the sun rises in the East