Millennials are narcissistic? The evidence is not so simple

BBC News ^ | November 17, 2017 | by Christian Jarrett

[Oldeconomybuyer]

At the next table in the cafe where I was working this morning, a young woman spent a whole hour talking excitedly to her older companion about herself, her hopes and aspirations for her job, her romantic relationship and her home. It was hard to avoid the impression that she thought herself the centre of the Universe, her dreams eminently fascinating and important.

Is this simply what young people or “millennials” (people born after 1980) are like these days? Fuelled by the endless opportunity for self-promotion and self-reflection on social media, combined with a wider culture that’s arguably placed greater emphasis on the importance of self-esteem than learning, have young people’s personalities changed from earlier generations to become more narcissistic and selfish?

Psychologists are divided. Some say the evidence that the young have become “Generation Me” is overwhelming, yet others counter just as strongly that this simply isn’t true. Meanwhile, more encouraging evidence is emerging to show positive trends in how our personalities seem to be changing over time, similar to the way that intelligence has increased over the generations.

The most vocal proponent of the view that young people today are more narcissistic and self-centred than in previous generations is psychologist Jean Twenge at San Diego State University, California, who has been studying the shift for more than 15 years.

Twenge believes that the rise in narcissism has its roots in cultural changes, especially the increased focus on individualism through the last few decades. For example, with parents, and society as a whole, today arguably placing greater value on young people’s individual achievement over their civic duty.

[ek_hornbeck]

Adolescents have always tended to be more self-absorbed, selfish, and narcissistic than adults. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is that “adolescence” used to end around the time people turned 20. Now we have many 20 or 30 somethings among us who never outgrew the high school or college campus mindset.

[reformedliberal]

“...my gripes are just a “generational” thing and that I just have to understand that they have “different standards.”
___________

Yep. It’s a generational thing and our generation(s) were here first, so the kiddos can just get in line.

What? That’s not how it works? Since when?

Oh and kids? By the time the present elders have passed, YOU will be in the elder generation and the standards will have changed yet again. However will you cope?

Imagine the grandbabies of the millenials bringing back traditional mores! Too bad I won’t live to see that.

[ek_hornbeck]

Twenge believes that the rise in narcissism has its roots in cultural changes, especially the increased focus on individualism through the last few decades. For example, with parents, and society as a whole, today arguably placing greater value on young people’s individual achievement over their civic duty.

If the emphasis really were on individual achievement, we wouldn't have this problem. Instead, in a culture where every kid gets a trophy for participating and a reality show-dominated media where anyone can be famous for being famous, people skip the step of actually having something to be proud of in order to be proud.