Quote:
Originally Posted by Praxeas
A new analysis of the American Freshman Survey, which has accumulated data for the past 47 years from 9 million young adults, reveals that college students are more likely than ever to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, even though their test scores and time spent studying are decreasing.
Psychologist Jean Twenge, the lead author of the analysis, is also the author study showing that the tendency toward narcissism in students is up 30 percent in the last thirty-odd years.
This data is not unexpected. I have been writing a great deal over the past few years about the toxic psychological impact of media and technology on children, adolescents and young adults, particularly as it regards turning them into faux celebrities—the equivalent of lead actors in their own fictionalized life stories.
On Facebook, young people can fool themselves into thinking they have hundreds or thousands of “friends.” They can delete unflattering comments. They can block anyone who disagrees with them or pokes holes in their inflated self-esteem. They can choose to show the world only flattering, sexy or funny photographs of themselves (dozens of albums full, by the way), “speak” in pithy short posts and publicly connect to movie stars and professional athletes and musicians they “like.”
On MTV and other networks, young people can see lives just like theirs portrayed on reality TV shows fueled by such incredible self-involvement and self-love that any of the “real-life” characters should really be in psychotherapy to have any chance at anything like a normal life.
These are the psychological drugs of the 21st Century and they are getting our sons and daughters very sick, indeed.
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I am currently teaching a series along these lines in my Sunday School class.
On a personal level...
We have children who dream that they have a life. They make statements such as "You're ruining my life" when in reality, darling, you don't have a life.
You go places in the car I bought using the gas I bought and after church you decide you'll go out and eat with no thought to the fact that you have no money. You ignore me and are rude to others texting and talking on the phone I bought which only has minutes because of the cell phone plan I pay for.
In school and at home kids come to the conclusion that they have a life when what they have is some imaginary semblance of a life totally funded by others and those others are generally the one most often blamed for ruining "their lives".
And then when they finally, if ever, take their privileged little behinds out of my house they are somehow aghast at how "unfair" life is. Sweetie... Life never was fair... I simply made the error of wanting to provide you nice things. For that... I apologize.
Privilege promotes dependency and unrealistic expectations.
Struggle creates balance and a spirit of thanks.
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