The New York Times, reg. required, reopened the "is this generation more narcissistic than past generations" debate reporting on upcoming research that allegedly contradicts professor Jean Twenge's findings summarized in her book Generation Me. I've read the book, and interviewed Jean, as well as people who strongly disagree with her for a white paper I co-wrote with Mike Dover at New Paradigm. Her research asserts that the current generation (which according to her, includes both Gen Xers like herself and "Millennials") is showing more narcissistic traits (you can read about her research methods here). She actually does attribute this rise to the popularity of the self esteem movement in the 80s and 90s, the increase in materialism and self focus in the culture at large, the role of technology, etc. i.e. it's not like we were born that way.

Even so, her book inspired gobs of media articles, many of which unleashed lots of generation bashing -- "those self-obsessed, entitled, fame seeking MySpacers"....Interestingly, a lot of the bashers were also probably Gen Xers, which if they read her book, would realize they, too, are part of Twenge's "Generation Me."

I think some of her critics, many of whom are justifiably fearful that her work is casting a negative light on an entire generation, are reacting in part to the media interpretation of Twenge's research and want a more balanced portrayal. Others, like the researchers interviewed in the Times, feel that her work is flawed because it doesn't take into account the "the personal biases of older adults, the lack of nuance in the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, changing social norms, the news media’s emphasis on celebrity, and the rise of social networking sites that encourage egocentricity." As BrandNoise eloquently summarized, "In other words, the minute-by-minute Twitter broadcasts of today are the navel-gazing est seminars of 1978."

Jean will be participating in our keynote conversation at the Ypulse College Mashup. I'm curious to know what questions Ypulse readers have for her...

Posted by anastasia