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The so-called Narcissism Epidemic led to the writing off of the entire Millennial generation.

An analysis of international data using statistically rigorous methods showed the Epidemic never existed.

Narcissism findings may reflect more than generational effects and instead life’s influence on self-esteem.

The idea that the generations who reached young adulthood in the last decades of the 20th century were exceptionally narcissistic always rested on a weak foundation. This proposal asserted that the “Generation Me” was overly self-centered, entitled, and egotistical. Never mind that the findings were hardly universal, or that they were limited to data drawn from a single questionnaire measure (Twenge et al., 2008). However, the idea took hold and before they knew it, an entire cohort of young people became smeared with the same derogatory stereotype.

If you have or had children who reached adulthood during this period or worked with members of this generation in schools or industry, it’s likely you didn’t have to think too hard before concluding that writing off an entire generation as selfish and self-interested seemed a bit simplistic. How many young people did you know (or are you, yourself) who volunteered in their communities, helped their families, and worked hard to overcome challenging circumstances? You would hardly call them (or yourself) narcissistic.

Was the Narcissism Epidemic Real?

Anytime someone comes up with a simple label to describe the entirety of a group’s characteristics, it doesn’t take long for that label........

© Psychology Today