Vanguard

Issue date: 10/29/07 Section: News

Dr. Joshua Foster, professor of psychology at the University of South Alabama, along with Jean Twenge from San Diego State University, Sara Konrath and Brad Bushman from the University of Michigan, and W. Kieth Campbell from the University of Georgia have conducted a cross-temporarily meta-analysis that shows that levels of narcissism are rising in today's youth.
Researchers looked at almost every research article on narcissism since 1979 to gauge narcissism levels in differing generations. The research primarily focused on results from the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, which is a 40-question survey that measures narcissism through questions such as "I can live my life any way I want to" and "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place." The 40-question NPI is the most commonly used measure of narcissism. The current research included data from 85 samples of college students. Findings include that two-thirds of college students today are above the NPI scores from 1979 to 1985, resulting in a 30 percent increase.
"They're getting progressively more Narcissistic," Foster said.
The study attributes the possibility of the recently rising egos to lifestyle and culture differences of varying time periods. Teachings for social characteristics, such as sexual behavior, self-esteem and anxiety, vary from generation to generation. Self-esteem boosting techniques adopted in more recent generations may be one of the culprits for the rise in narcissism.
According to the study, narcissism can be defined as a "positive and inflated view of oneself" and can be classified by self-importance and lack of interest in forming intimate relationships with others.
"It's been somewhat controversial, like we're criticizing college students. However, many of us involved in the study aren't that far away from college. We are a part of the generation we've been analyzing," Foster said.
According to Foster, there are cons to the high levels of self-importance, such as a student believing they are incredible in a certain field, such as biology, but continually fail classes in the area. To a degree, however, Foster says that narcissism can have its benefits.
"It can be psychologically healthy to do that. It's called the self-serving bias. It's when someone blames their mistakes on others and take credit for the good they do. People with severe mental illness have been shown to do the opposite," Foster said. "If you don't get other people to pay attention to you, then they don't. Most innovators and revolutionaries of the past have been extremely narcissistic."
A few examples of Foster's claim would be Galileo Galilei, who often praised himself for his work, and Albert Einstein, who was documented as being "a womanizer."
According the to Boston Globe, the narcissists of this generation could be beneficial to the economy with most big businesses going overseas and the American economy left with entrepreneurship.
"There is a fine line between stubborn and persistent," Foster said. "And that largely depends on the product of your methods."

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