Survey Shows College Students Are All About Themselves

A recent survey reports that college students are more arrogant than ever. Taken of over 16,000 students across the U.S., the survey indicates that the number of students with an above average score on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, taken by five psychologists, has risen steadily since 1982. The most recent study taken, in 2006, showed that about 2/3 of all students surveyed were shown to have a narcissistic personality. Is this a problem in our society?

People are blaming a rise in parental permissiveness, believing that maybe more authoritative parenting and a decrease in the childhood indulgence we have been seeing in recent decades may help to stem this problem. Others also blame some of our newest technology; it is believed by many that things like My Space and You Tube encourage children to participate in more attention seeking behavior. A student of the University of Washington was quoted by David Crary, of the Arizona Daily Star, as saying, "We're encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want and nobody should stand in your way." Some say that people with narcissistic personalities may have problems developing close relationships with others, and can lack empathy, as well as over reacting to criticism and may find self promotion to be more important than helping others. These people are also said to lack emotional warmth, to be dishonest, and tend to be game players.

Another source of this problem is identified as being the reinforcement of the idea that everyone is special and that they should live their lives the way they want; some believe that children are already to self centered. However, there are some people who do not believe this to be a problem. Some think that a somewhat narcissistic personality could be useful in life. They live to think that this kind of perspective could help to them when it comes to meeting new people or pushing themselves into the lime light of Hollywood, or the music business.

So, is our nation becoming one of self serving people who care nothing for others? Or are we just becoming more in touch with ourselves, our needs, and our desires? I guess when all is said and done, we are who we are, and it's up to us to decide for ourselves whether this is a good thing or not. My best advice, and perhaps I am also narcissistic, is to be true to yourself and what you believe is right.