Question

Millennials Are More Narcissistic

Read the Point and Counterpoint arguments and answer the question listed below:

Which argument do you agree with (point or counterpoint)? Explain your reasoning. (one page)

Point

Those in college today have many good qualities: they are more technologically savvy, more socially tolerant, and more balanced in their work and family priorities than previous generations. Thus, those poised to enter the workforce today do so with some important virtues. Humility, however, is not one of them.

Several large-scale, longitudinal studies found that those graduating from college today are more likely than those from previous generations to have seemingly inflated views of themselves. Compared to previous generations, more U.S. college students now rate themselves as above average on attributes such as academic ability, leadership, public speaking ability, and writing ability. College graduates today are more likely to agree they would be “very good” spouses (56 percent, compared to 37 percent among 1980 graduates), parents (54 percent, compared to 36 percent among 1980 graduates), and workers (65 percent, compared to 49 percent among 1980 graduates).

Studies measuring narcissism suggest that scores are rising, especially among younger generations. For example, by presenting a choice between two statements—“I try not to be a show-off” versus “I will usually show off if I get the chance”—psychologists have found that narcissism has been growing since the early 1980s.

Another recent study found that, compared to Baby Boomers and Generation Xers, students entering college today are more likely to emphasize extrinsic values (e.g., money, image, fame) and less likely to value intrinsic ones (e.g., concern for others, charity, jobs that contribute to society).

It doesn’t paint a pretty picture, but data do not lie: the sooner we admit it, the sooner we can begin to address the problem in families, in education, and at work.

Counterpoint

“THE YOUTH OF TODAY ARE LOST!” This argument is like a broken record that seems to play over and over: every generation tends to think the new generation is without values, and the new generation thinks the older one is hopelessly judgmental and out of touch. Didn’t the supposed “Me generation” occur a generation ago? Let’s send the broken record to the recycling bin and review the evidence.

Another study offered an interesting explanation for why people think Millennials are more narcissistic. Specifically, young people in general are more self-focused, but as people age, they become more “other” focused. So we think young people are different when in fact they’re just the way older folks were when they were younger. As these authors conclude, “Every generation is Generation Me.” Our level of narcissism appears to be one of the many things that changes as we get older.

In fact, this raises an important point: values change over time as we age, but we should not confuse that change with generational effects. One large-scale review of the literature revealed that during college years, we place more weight on intrinsic values, and as we progress in our careers and start families, extrinsic values increase in importance.

Other research has found that people think the generations differ in their values much more than they in fact do. One study found that of 15 work values, in every case, the perceived differences between among Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials were greater than the actual ones.

More broadly, narcissistic folks exist in every generation. We need to be careful when generalizing about entire groups (whether one sex, one race, one culture, or one generation). While generalizations have caused no small amount of trouble, we still like to simplify the world, sometimes for good reason. In this case, however, the good reason isn’t there, especially considering the latest evidence.

Sources: J. M. Twenge, W. K. Campbell, and E. C. Freeman, “Generational Differences in Young Adults’ Life Goals, Concern for Others, and Civic Orientation, 1966–2009,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology102 (2012), pp. 1045–-1062; J. Jin and J. Rounds, “Stability and Change in Work Values: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies,” Journal of Vocational Behavior 80 (2012), pp. 326–-339; and S. W. Lester, R. L. Standifer, N. J. Schultz, and J. M. Windsor, “"Actual Versus Perceived Generational Differences at Work: An Empirical Examination,”" Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 19 (2012), pp. 341–-354.

Answer 1

Millennials Are More Narcissistic

After reading the point and the counterpoint of the argument, I agree with the point. The term 'narcissism' means that the craving for more attention towards one self. The millennials definitely have this feature in them. The presence of this feature is seen in almost every generation when they were in the youth. It seems to be a distinct feature of the youth in any generation. However, for the current generation it is more obvious than normal. The reason for this might be the increased usage of social media, technology and the income disparity. Social Media has become a part and parcel of the lives of the youth. They are found most of the time clicking selfies and posting in various social media websites. They have a strong inclination towards making themselves popular in front of others. The data also shows that 'they will usually show off if they get the chance'. They have inflated views about themselves about the various roles that they will play in future. They also emphasize more on extrinsic values than intrinsic values. This tendency of emphasizing more on extrinsic values than intrinsic values is actually learnt with time. Thus, the narcissistic nature of the youth might be a passing phase and with time they might be able to overcome it.