Generation Me

Surprise, surprise - a comprehensive new study released today finds college students more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors. Jean Twenge is one of the leaders of the study and author of Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before.

The report says that all the effort to boost children's self-esteem may have backfired and produced a generation of college students who are more narcissistic than their Gen X predecessors. And the Internet, with all its MySpace and YouTube braggadocio, is letting that self-regard blossom even more, said the analysis, titled "Egos Inflating Over Time."

Researchers warn that a rising ego rush could cause personal and social problems for the Millennial Generation, also called Gen Y. People with an inflated sense of self tend to have less interest in emotionally intimate bonds and can lash out when rejected or insulted. "That makes me very, very worried," said Jean Twenge, a San Diego State associate professor and lead author of the report. "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."

It's suggested that some of the increase in narcissistic attitudes was probably caused by the self-esteem programs that many elementary schools adopted 20 years ago. It notes that nursery schools began to have children sing songs that proclaim: "I am special, I am special. Look at me."Those youngsters are now adolescents obsessed with websites, such as MySpace and YouTube, that "permit self-promotion far beyond that allowed by traditional media," the report says. Other trends in American culture, including permissive parenting, increased materialism and the fascination with celebrities and reality TV shows, may also heighten self-regard, said study coauthor W. Keith Campbell, psychology professor at the University of Georgia. "It's part of a whole cultural system," he said.

Now how do you like that. People who aren't obsessed with themselves are happier, have more fulfilling relationships, and contribute more to society. Maybe Jesus knew what he was talking about when he said:

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. John 12:24-26

It's time for the church to move to the front of the line - not in an obnoxious and pushy way, but to demonstrate what a life of sacrificial service looks like. Our culture is broken and in desperate need for role models worth emulating. Jesus is calling us to follow Him as His servant. To show a generation consumed with "Me" what life is all about.