Essay by: Micheal Aguilar
Are we, the current generation, really as narcissistic as everyone says? There has been some speculation that anyone born after 1970 has become increasingly more narcissistic than ever before. This group of people has been put into the category of the Millennial Generation or Generation Me. The term Generation Me was also given to the Millennial Generation because of their selfish, self-focused attitudes. The perceived rise in narcissism in the Millennial Generation is occurring, but it is not as widespread as Twenge and her colleagues say. The assumption is due to Millennials’ belief that they can control others’ thoughts of them, that they are customers and the world serves them, and their impulsive behaviors. Survey errors and inconsistent data weaken the argument’s severity.
The idea of knowing and controlling what others think of us is becoming an ingrained concept in the minds of Generation Me. Many songs and product commercials have used this concept in an attempt to sell their products. The song “Don’t Cha” by the Pussy Cat Dolls is a famous song used in many commercials saying that you want to buy their product. As if they could control someone’s thoughts, the song’s lyrics basically say that they know what you want. Many Millennials have the confidence or false confidence that they know exactly what others think of them, and they love to hear it. However, they often get offended if what others think is not something good. This proves they do not control every aspect of what people think. Klink states in reference to one of his students, “The student claimed to want lots of feedback, but, as it turned out, all the feedback she wanted was positive feedback” (433). Millennials love getting a lot of feedback for the things they do, but they only like it if it is positive feedback.
When Millennials do not like what they hear, the thought process of “I don’t care what others think of me” comes into play. This thought is used to say that what they do is still important no matter what others think. Most people say this when the positive feedback they expect to receive is delayed because the results of what they have done are not immediate. The confidence that they know that people will come to respect their actions is the reason why they continue to do it. Up-and-coming trends are one example of this idea. When the trend starts, it is not always widely accepted. People cling to the idea of “I don’t care what others think” until the trend catches on. People believe that others will want to be like them and want to join and continue the trend. This goes so far as saying that: I will know what others think of me, I am important, and I will be important.
Social networking sites have also encouraged the thought that you are important and others care what you think. The designs of many social networking sites seen today are to display anything and everything people think or do. Instagram is dedicated to sharing the images you want people to see of you. Twitter can document your every thought, even if it is not a brilliant one. Facebook has both of these designs and more that promote the sharing of the self with the world. Locations, thoughts, images, and the people you are with can be shared within seconds with others. That is assuming that other people even care about any of this. Social networking sites now glorify the self maybe in ways not intended. Sokol states, “People like to brag about themselves and show what they got and what they have accomplished. People make themselves out to be better and make others think that they are this prestigious person” (Sokol). Since social networking sites let people choose what they want others to see, they can choose to only show the good characteristics of themselves. The fact that people focused on what others think of them, coincidentally caused them to only focus on themselves and how they will be perceived. Gen Me-ers are conflicted and show narcissistic behavior because they are self-conscious about what others think.
Millennials have come to believe they are customers and the world is there to serve them. The growth of the service industries in this country have decreased the times and places that the attitudes associated with them are not used. Growing up in this environment has led Millennials to believe that the attitudes used toward service industries apply to all the situations they encounter. Education is one aspect where students believe teachers should serve to their different educational needs. Klink elaborates, “The professor is just another commodity that can be rejected by the customer who is always right about his or her needs and wants and whether they are being met” (Klink 436). Educators are usually viewed as authority figures, and students listen to what they tell them to do. Today the fact that the educators are being paid by the students means that they will cater to their will.
Entitlement is also associated with narcissism, and it is a strong characteristic of Millennials. Things that were once privileges are seen as rights by Generation Me. One example of this would be in the classroom. Students expect certain grades even if they do not deserve them. Twenge explains, “More students will expect to get good grades for ‘trying’ or ‘working hard’, not necessarily for good performance” (Twenge 202). Students today believe grades are participation grades rather than knowledge assessments. They also expect the same grades for less effort. They want to “waste” less time doing their work and more time doing “fun” things. Twenge states, “A total of 20% fewer high school students did 15 or more hours of homework per week in 2006 than in 1976, and more did no homework at all” (Twenge 203).The students don’t want to be treated any different from the number one in the class even if they do not have the same academic qualities. These expectations cause them not to excel academically. Stewart vindicates, “Another impression among our teaching colleagues is that their students’ narcissistic characteristics cause their weak academic performance” (Stewart 597). Their narcissistic behaviors distract them from actually paying attention and learning. Professions are subjected to this entitlement attitude as well. Workers expect to have so much time off to do recreational things in their life. Twenge explains, “Recent generations are more likely to agree that ‘work is just making a living’ and to favour jobs that do not require overtime and allow for several weeks of vacation” (Twenge 203). Some professions cannot be left at the workplace. Often these jobs require work to be continued at home or outside the workplace. This “extra” work cuts into employees’ time for themselves, so often people do not choose these jobs.
Millennials today have very impulsive behaviors and only think to serve themselves. Their upbringing can cause them to develop this impulsive behavior. Sokol states, “Teenagers these days don’t have any boundaries or structure, and it’s the parents fault for this. Parents are more focused on themselves and to reduce the stress they let their children do want ever they want. In turn, this creates even more selfish, narcissistic people” (Sokol). Learning to do whatever they want growing up means they never learn to reach for things that take time to develop. The youth today tends to only think about the short-term gains, and they rarely think or strive for things that would benefit them in the long-run. Along with only worrying about short-term benefits, they tend to only strive for goals that are beneficial to them. They are willing to help another person, but only if they get something out of it. If there is nothing to be gained from helping another, most likely Millennials will not think twice about even helping. This self-centered behavior can be seen in worse fashions as well. Another’s losses can become expenses to a Millennials gain. Not only will a Millennial not help if there is no self-benefit, but they will put someone down to reach what they want. This impulsive strive for self-pleasure has no bounds, and are not thoroughly thought through. In a study done by Stewart and Bernhardt the results showed Gammas showed the least impulse control (Stewart 593). The Gammas’ characteristics in the study were external and norm-doubting. In this study the people with Gamma characteristics are the worst when it comes to impulse control, but all four groups, Alphas, Betas, Gammas, and Deltas, showed lower levels of impulse control compared to pre-1987-ers.
There have been many proven flaws in the studies done by Twenge and her colleagues using meta-analysis to prove this rise in narcissism. For one, surveys used to collect this data were collected with a sampling error. Simply, the sample sizes were too small to represent the entire nation. Edmonds states, “If one meta-analyzes a set of small studies of particular groups, then the meta-analysis may simply reify sampling error” (Edmonds 98). There was also racial bias in the surveys. Whites made up an average of 70% of the people surveyed. This means this trend may not be present in all races. Also probability sample methods were not used when collecting this data. Donnellan states, “We have some reservations about using this method for making inferences about birth-cohort-linked trends in psychological traits when the samples included in the meta-analysis were not generated using probability sample methods” (Donnellan 904). Twenge used convenience samples to draw her inferences which have their flaws as well. Donnellan states, “Our concern about the use of convenience samples is compounded by the fact that we have failed to replicate some of Twenge and colleague’s previous findings when we have used more representative samples” (Donnellan 906). In scientific studies, if the results cannot be replicated then the results are not valid. Studies have shown this is a developmental phrase not a generational shift. Edmonds states, “Clearly, Generation Me is a developmental, not generational, phenomenon. Every generation of young people is substantially more narcissistic then their elders, not because of cultural change, but because of age related developmental trends” (Edmonds 102). Millennials are perceived as more narcissistic because the people making these assumptions are in fact less narcissistic than them.
Generation Me is more narcissistic than previous ones, but it is not as widespread as Twenge makes it seem. The studies of college student still prove true, but only true for those areas of the Millennial population. Further studies should be done to prove if in fact that this trend is real. Without these studies, these assumptions can only be seen as theories rather than facts. Societal changes can be made to accommodate this new thought process if it can be proven.
Works Cited
Donnelian, M. Brent, Trzesniewski, Kali H., and Robins, Richard W. “Is ‘Generation Me’ Really
More Narcissistic Than Previous Generations?” Journal of Personality. Academic Search Complete. Blackwell Publishing, Aug 2008. 903-918. Article.
Edmonds, G., Grijalva, E, and Roberts, B.W. “It Is Developmental Me, Not Generation Me:
Developmental Changes Are More Important Than Generational Changes in Narcissism-Commentary On.” Perspect Psychol Sci. Jan 2010. 97-102. Article.
Klink, William. “Don’t I Wish My Professor Was Hot Like Me.” Review of Education. Academic Search Complete, Sep-Dec2010. 431-446. Article.
Sokol, Andrea N. Personal Interview. 26 February 2012.
Stewart, Kenneth D., and Bernhardt, Paul C. “Comparing Millennials to Pre-1987 Students and
with One Another.” North American Journal of Psychology. Academic Search Complete, 2010. 579-602. Article.
Twenge, Jean M. “Generational Changes and Their Impact in the Classroom: Teaching
Generation Me.” Medical Education. Academic Search Complete. Blackwell Publishing, May 2009. 398-405. Article.
