It’s no surprise that “American Idol” had its highest rating ever this season. In the first few weeks of horrendous auditions, there was definitely something special about this crop of delusional wannabes. They seemed to be the most narcissistic bunch of lunatics in the country. It makes you wonder: Since when did we become such narcissists?
According to a Feb. 27 article in the Los Angeles Times, our generation may just be the most narcissistic of them all. A new study being led by a San Diego State psychologist, titled “Ego’s Inflating Over Time,” warns that a rising ego could cause personal and social problems for our generation. It’s been said that people with an inflated sense of self tend to shy away from emotionally intimate bonds and lash out when insulted or, God forbid, rejected.
According to the article, Jean Twenge, an associate professor at SDSU, was a lead author of the controversial report. In the article she says, “That makes me very, very worried. I’m concerned we are heading to a society where people are going to treat each other badly, either on the street or in relationships.”
Twenge, along with four other researchers from the University of Michigan, the University of Georgia and the University of South Alabama, went over the results of psychological surveys taken by more than 16,000 college students around the nation over 25 years. The results were shocking.
Almost two-thirds of recent college students had narcissism scores that were above the average 1982 score. A staggering 32 percent increase of college students showed elevated narcissism in 2006 than in 1982.
According to the article, the L.A. Times conducted an informal survey at Cal State Long Beach on Monday, asking professors and students what they thought of the new “completely self-involved” generation. There were mixed reactions. Mark Flacks, an assistant professor of sociology, told the L.A. Times that “this is a bottom-line society, so students are smart to seek the most direct route to the bottom line.” He added, “If you don’t have a me-first attitude, you won’t succeed.”
But there’s a fine line between being confident and being cocky. Nowadays, that line seems to have blurred into oblivion, and what we’re left with are everyday individuals with egos the size of Saturn. But how, and more importantly, why did this happen?
There are many speculations. According to the article, the study suggests that the increase in narcissistic attitudes may derive from self-esteem programs that many elementary schools adopted 20 years ago. Nursery schools literally had children sing songs with the words “I am special, I am special, look at me!”
That would make even the most humble human being manifest a narcissistic state of mind.
And of course nowadays, with MySpace and YouTube, we have unknowingly created Web sites that “permit self-promotion far beyond that allowed by traditional media,” the report claims. Then there’s the many other frightening trends in America culture, like celebrity obsessions, reality TV stars and increased materialism that all adds to our sense of self-righteousness.
So what do we do about this dilemma? Is it such a bad thing to have high self-esteem? No, it’s not. Like professor Flacks said, you need confidence to succeed. But it’s not a good sign when our narcissism overcomes us and we’re left with no friends, family or moral values to fall back on.
We don’t want to be known as the generation of narcissists. We want to be known as the generation of leaders, pioneers of the future and most importantly, gracious human beings. Let’s stop this trend before it’s too late.
So stop admiring yourself in the mirror and accept the fact that it’s not all about you.
