It Was The Best of Times, The Most Indulgent of Times

The Huffington Post:

Young Americans have gotten a fair share of criticism in recent decades. College students in particular — and those leaving college to enter the work force — have been described as self-absorbed and entitled, grandiose in their sense of their own importance. For the harshest critics, it’s a generation of narcissistic brats.

I know. I know. It’s unfair and perilous to characterize an entire generation, and indeed this narcissistic trend has been disputed by some. There is also a lively debate about what might instill a grandiose self-concept in the minds of the young. Have they been spoiled by indulgent, overprotective parents, who lavished their kids with unearned praise?

Or perhaps it’s something else entirely, some uncontrollable social or economic force that’s shaping the minds of a generation. That’s the thesis of Emory University psychological scientist Emily Bianchi, who wondered if a roll of the economic dice — specifically, coming of age during a recession or in prosperous times — might influence on how narcissistic emerging adults ultimately become.

Read the whole story: The Huffington Post

Wray Herbert is an author and award-winning journalist who writes two popular blogs for APS, We’re Only Human and Full Frontal Psychology. Follow Wray on Twitter @wrayherbert.