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DEL.ICIO.USAre young people growing more self-absorbed?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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She took offense to the question, but I had to ask.
After all, its what drew me to Georgia Gwinnett College , the self-proclaimed “campus of tomorrow.”
“Are you narcissistic?, I asked Sara Francis Spencer, 19, a freshman at Georgia Perimeter College, which has a campus location at GGC.
“I’m not self-absorbed at all,” said Sara, a 2005 South Gwinnett High grad and aspiring nurse.
“Wow. That really bothers me.”
A new study conducted by five psychologists has found that today’s college students — Generation Y — are in love. With themselves. They live life with a sense of entitlement and self-absorption that outpaces their predecessors, that makes Paris Hilton appear humble.
According to the study, 30 percent more college students showed “elevated narcissism” last year than in 1982. In that 25-year time span, researchers posed a series of personality questions to more than 16,000 students.
On Wednesday, the Badie Tour went looking for a few narcissists at GGC. I’d hope to find droves of them enjoying a beautiful Georgia day, smug and self-indulgent, and chanting:
“I am special. I’m perfect. I know it.”
Out of several students I talked to in Building A, all but one reacted the way Sara did — with disbelief that they had been labeled so darkly, dismissed as selfish.
“That’s terrible,” said Vanessa Giles , 22, a Georgia Perimeter coed and early childhood education major.
And in her opinion, untrue.
“Young people in general get a bad rap,” Giles of Monroe told me. “I’m working for all this stuff, paying for my classes and everything, and most of the people I know are doing the same thing. That’s not being self-absorbed. We just want to better ourselves.”
Chad Chapel , 22, who just earned his associate degree from Georgia Perimeter, said there’s some reality to the data. He said college students do think they’re special. “Obviously, it’s not every student,” said Chapel, a 2002 Dacula High grad who plans to study accounting at Georgia State.
“But I would say it’s a majority of them. I’m guilty of it myself. There are lots of cliques. Nobody mingles.”
Granted, my random sampling doesn’t hold water when compared to academic research. The five professors who conducted the study talked to 16,475 students. Then they apparently used the results as a template that was applied to the college nation.
I’m always leery of poll and surveys, especially when results are presented in black and white, with no nuance. Still, I’d imagine there’s some truth, somewhere, in the results of this college student personality survey.
But if our young people are growing more self-indulged, perhaps it’s time to conduct a companion study. Self-centeredness can’t fall too far from the tree.
Spencer , the aspiring nurse, thinks the survey provides a snapshot of a broad student population.
“The interviewers didn’t interview me or my friends,” she said.
Spencer plans to attend the University of Illinois, where she’ll play soccer. She’s heard that students at the Chicago school tend to have attitude.
“They’re stuck up,” she said. “That’s what I heard about them.”
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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By Ray Lunsford
March 7, 2007 9:00 PM | Link to this
Rick, I think every generation has a certain amount of self-absorption, kids who know more than everyone, especially their parents. “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words… When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint” Hesiod, 8th century BC. Another quote worth repeating, Plato also complained about the youth of the day, “What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?” However, every generation produces an equal amount of individuals that put God and country before themselves, as is evidenced in the outstanding examples of brave youth that is currently defending our nation against terrorism around the globe. Every generation produces its followers, leaders, and do-nothings. This will never change. Thank God for those young men and women that decide to stand for something. Thank God for our very own 300 Spartans.
By Katie
March 8, 2007 5:43 AM | Link to this
Kids are more self absorbant than ever. It’s the parents fault too. Kids today (many, not all) are very disrespectful to their elders, are more violent and don’t work hard. Sure, there’s the exception, there always is but it seems to me that kids today think they deserve everything and have to work for nothing. There’s a sense of self entitlement. They have a right to have a car, they demand respect instead of earning it and whine like babies when they don’t get their way. It’s a shame that their parents raised them this way because they’ll turn out to be rotten adults.
By Sa Vant
March 8, 2007 7:51 AM | Link to this
Of course they are. Like most all of the previous younger generations. In the 1960s, there was the pretense of “activism,’ but this veneer of altruism was merely a hypocritical mask. The latest generation is just more obviously self-absorbed since the selfish spasms were facilitated by their permissive doltish parents.
By Jack
March 8, 2007 8:14 AM | Link to this
Rick,
I think over the years and centuries that our society has changed and evolved in alot of ways. Young men and women are alot more ambitious, concentrate on their education and have goals with high expectations of succeeding in life more so now than they have in the past. I personally think that this survey has misunderstandingly mistaken todays youth of desiring for a better future with narcissistic behavior.
Do we have a problem in todays youth with morals, respect and attitudes? yes, you bet. As our society changes and evolves so do mind sets and behavior. I think todays parents need to step up to the plate and teach and mold young people with a flavor of the leave it to beaver days as far as morals and respect goes. I also think religion needs to play a larger part of todays society. With the way our world has changed, it takes a larger financial salary to raise a family and pay bills so lets not mistaken drive and desire to be financially successful with narcissistic behavior.
By Analyze This
March 8, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this
The sad thing is that the ones that are the most self-absorbed are the ones that need validation constantly.
By des
March 8, 2007 9:13 AM | Link to this
At the risk of dating myself, I will say I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s. My parents didn’t have a lot and I certainly didn’t bother them with things I wanted and sometimes things I needed. I went to work at 18 and have worked ever since. Maybe its because we didn’t get the things we wanted or needed, but the generation we raised don’t understand where money comes from or care. They seem to feel their parents should be suppliers of anything they need for a lifetime. They are selfish, self serving and only have themselves in mind in most situations. It is parents fault and also schools fault. Parents for overindulging and schools for letting them get through school without learning basics such as balancing a checkbook. I learned a whole lot more about basic life functions than my kid did. Morever, now when kids fail, they just come back home to be waited on by their parents.
By Joe
March 8, 2007 9:35 AM | Link to this
I hate to blame the parents for everything, but ultimately it IS their fault. I volunteer with a child whose mother is very selfish and the 13 year old is becoming quite that way as well. The mother has no concern for other people’s possessions, and only wants her own, but doesn’t want to pay for them. Her son is a wonderful boy who needs guidance but it is sorely lacking from his mother.
In my role as a mentor, I have to coach him on the value of a dollar and how people give a gift with sentiment attached, not just the money spent on it. I tell him he should understand that people give him gifts not out of duty but out of caring and love and he should value them as such. I’ve scolded him on destroying flowers and plants in the landscape: “They just grow wild,” he said. “No they don’t. I have to buy them and plant them. But regardless, they are they to be enjoyed and viewed by all, not just for your own pleasure in destroying them…” His mother gives no such advice.
He DOES listen. It’s tough work. And fortunately I’m very close by and can work with him frequently. However, today’s kids are often latchkey and parents are content to do nothing if they don’t visibly see a problem. It’s not helping our children.
Children need attention, but don’t need to have all the attention focused on them.
By woodie
March 8, 2007 10:28 AM | Link to this
I think the kids are fine. The adults are much worst than generation Y. For example, Bush, Rumsfield, Cheney, Libby, Ebbers, Gates, Trump, Madonna, Catholic Priests, Federline, Aguilara, most hip-hop artists and gangsta’s, and on and on and on. I just hope the children are able to cope with the legacy we’ve stuck on them, that is if they can live in our pollution.
By yoyo
March 8, 2007 4:12 PM | Link to this
i agree, woodie. our nations leaders set a perfect example of what it is to be self-serving, self-absorbed, manipulative, and greedy. with role models like that, who needs enemies? to top it all off, the media makes this behavior attractive - even ideal! sigh. wasn’t ANYONE paying attention in kindergarten? c’mon, people! the rules are just as simple now as they were in grade school, but it is so much more important that we abide by them as adults in an increasingly over-populated world.
if we don’t, our narcissism will be our downfall. and yes, the rules DO apply to YOU. if you don’t believe me, go ahead, run with scissors.
By Badie Fan
March 8, 2007 6:58 PM | Link to this
My cat is a narcissist. He likes to jump up on the dresser and admire himself in the mirror. Drives me nuts.
By monah
March 9, 2007 10:44 AM | Link to this
Kids are what they are taught and what is expected of them. If they are expected to think of the less fortunate and volunteer then they will. I think a lot of parents are weak willed and possibly over materialistic. We are busy working and trying to pay for things and working toward a cruise, TV, or other reward for working so hard and don’t spend as much time volunteering. It is not easy, we want our kids to do well in school and be safe so we tell them not to work, give them a car and a cell phone and tell them to just worry about good grades so they can be successful. Then we get upset when they act like they are the center of the universe. It is like everything else in life, we have to strive for balance in our lives and our kids lives. We all need to show respect for our elders and help folks that are less fortunate with our time as well as a donation. There are plenty of kids that are not self-absorbed. There are tons of plain ole good kids out there.
By 'Nuther fan
March 9, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this
Cats these days don’t get me started Self absorbed doesn’t begin to cover it. They act as if they are entitled to the sunbeam. They shed on the couch and never clean up after themselves. Back in the day, a cat worked for their vittles and returned thanks with an appreciative purr. Nowadays they expect designer chow. I blame the media.
By VoHongPhuc
March 10, 2007 5:19 PM | Link to this
There’s nothing really wrong with being self-absorbed, provided it’s with positive aspects of life. Being self-absorbed with your education, fitness, or career can be a good thing. Being smug as some of the young people in the article are is acceptable as well. Confidence and arrogance are separated by a very thin line. We immigrants manage to get by in an ever changing world. Many Americans need to get used to the idea that each generation will be different than the previous. Old fashioned is neither new nor fashionable.