At the time of writing this blog, the UK government are debating additional measures with the aim of reducing the increase in Covid 19 cases. One of the factors for the increase is the number of young people who have tested positive.
As is the norm in our society the media and social media are quick to jump on the bandwagon and point the finger at the younger generations. It seems ok to generalise and blame these generations in this way. However, we would not accept these generalised judgemental comments if they were made about gender, race, sexuality, etc.
The terms ‘Millenials’, ‘Generation Y’ and ‘Generation Z’ comes from Generation Theory which places a label depending on when you were born, as demonstrated in the table below:
Sociologist Karl Mannheim describes generation theory as “a generation can be defined as a group of individuals born within the same historical and socio-cultural context, who experience the same formative experiences and develop unifying commonalities as a result”
Generation Y have often been labeled as the ‘Self-Entitled’ generation. Dr. Jean Twenge a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of more than 130 scientific publications and 6 books on Generation Y states one of the trends observed in Generation Y is an increase in individualism. She comments ‘this has both observable benefits and downsides. On the positive side, it is likely Generation Y will value diversity more than previous generations. They will value difference and that people can succeed irrespective of their background. On the negative side with individualism, there is a greater risk of narcissism in this generation.’
An increase in narcissism may seem negative, but a productive narcissistic personality could be quite advantageous to an organisation, as these types of people are likely to be passionate about their role. They are comfortable challenging organisational norms and have the courage to innovate. When they reach a leadership role, they may inspire employees with an engaging vision.
Narcissism is not a trait that is exclusive to the newer generations, I am sure we have all come across people who were born prior to 1980 who are deeply narcissistic. However, we only need to look at the role of media and social media to understand how this may influence the newer generations in a socio-cultural context.
At the turn of the millennium, there was a significant increase in low-cost reality television programmes which made people rich and famous overnight. In the past people may have become famous through talent and hard work, becoming a celebrity by these means could be seen as an easier route.
In 2004 Facebook was created, it was followed by several other social media platforms. All of these platforms promote creating a positive social identity through posting pictures and comments on the internet.
Also, during the 1980s a change of parental style emerged to a more nurturing, self-esteem style of parenting. This often meant their children were indulged. Another factor could be the change in the reward mechanism at most schools and sporting clubs to rewarding these generations for taking part rather than for achievement.
Both Generation Y and Generation Z grew up in a world that encouraged narcissistic tendencies. Rather than jump on the bandwagon to point the finger of blame, I urge curiosity and compassion to understand how their world may appear different to your view.
Is this challenge new? I leave you with this quote
“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in front of parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers” (attributed to Socrates by Plato in Plato’s Republic Book)
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