Palm - Fall 2007 - (Page 5)

Y THE PROBLEM This generation may be the most obvious example of a move away from society and toward the self, however it isn’t an entirely new problem. The problem is the speed at which this move has progressed. “The move away from society and toward the self has been going on for centuries,” said Dr. Jean Twenge, author of the book “Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled and More Miserable Than Ever Before.” “But it has definitely accelerated in recent further fueling the high expectations and narcissistic tendencies of Generation Me. According to the United States Bureau of the Census, in 1980 only 27 percent of college freshmen reported earning A averages in High School, but by 2004, 48 percent reported an A average in High School. This, despite the fact that studying has declined over that same time period. This has created an atmosphere where students aren’t able to deal with constructive criticism, and cringe at the first sign that they may need to work to get better. Take, for example, the student who gets a paper back with grammar corrections. “When you correct writing, they’ll say, ‘It’s just your opinion,’ which is infuriating. Bad grammar and spelling and sentences being wrong is not my opinion, it’s just bad writing,” said Twenge. “The thing that concerns me most is what happens to the optimism and these very high expectations that students are coming into the work force with,” said Twenge. “Sometimes it happens in college, sometimes in your first job and sometimes not palm www.ato.org 5 ou too, might be shocked by some of the newest data on what some are describing as Generation Me. Two-thirds of today’s students rank above average on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory survey (30 percent more students than in 1982). A celebrity sample had a mean NPI score of 17.84 while the sample of recent college students was 17.29. Eighty-one percent of 18-25 year olds said that getting rich was among their generations most important goals. Sixty-four percent named it as the most important goal of all. Only 30 percent chose helping others who need help and only 10 percent named becoming more spiritual as important goals. Of course, not all new college graduates carry this mindset; in fact there is ample evidence that would suggest that one way to avoid this mindset is to be a member of a fraternity. More on that later. years through advances in technology and changes in the media. The tide of history is getting even stronger.” The reality is that, according to Twenge, the current college population has been rooted in the selfesteem movement from birth with obvious but unintended consequences. According to Twenge, one of the biggest issues facing today’s student is the harsh reality of life post-college. This generation is the first American generation to grow up under the auspices that high self-esteem can exist independently of any actual achievement. “Today, children grow up in an environment where they are taught that they should think of themselves as special, that we have to love ourselves before we can love someone else,” said Twenge. Picture participation ribbons, elimination of competitive school games, class time focused on positive affirmation and recitation of phrases like “I love me, I am beautiful, I am smart.” Picture Saturday Night Live character Stewart Smalley. Much of this environmental shift can be attributed to an educational system that, more than 20 years ago, changed the focus of the classroom from performance to the boosting of self-esteem. “I think we had a great deal of optimism that high self-esteem would cause all sorts of positive consequences, and that if we raised selfesteem people would do better in life,” said Dr. Roy F. Baumeister, Social Psychology Area Director at Florida State University. “Mostly, the data have not borne that out.” A side effect of this shift toward enhanced selfesteem is grade inflation, NAVIGATING GENERATION ME FOR EMPLOYERS Explain success and privileges don’t happen overnight GenMe will work hard, but even harder if appropriately praised and appreciated Not motivated by duty Learn best by doing Training seminars will put them to sleep if not interactive May need guidance on how to deal with older people Appreciate flexible schedules and independence Do not respond to micromanagement Do not take criticism well Almost wildly ambitious Salary and benefits are VERY important “Generation Me” by Dr. Jean Twenge http://www.ato.org

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Palm - Fall 2007 Table of Contents Focus on Generation Me 2007 ATO Award Winners Life Loyal TAU Members Loyal Tau Douglas Rosentein HQ: NHQ News SIR: Success in Review TAU: Alumni News ITS: In the Spotlight

Palm - Fall 2007

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