Steve Bussey's Blog: generational theory

Showing posts with label generational theory. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Generation Me - Study Guide

A couple of weeks ago, I put together a study guide for Jean Twenge's book, Generation Me. As a youth worker, I have found her insights to be perceptive and informative. I would recommend that every youth worker and person involved in ministry with American youth and young adults go to their local bookshop and pick up a copy. It should be a standard text!

Here are links to my chapter summaries, questions and reference links:

Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Monday, July 09, 2007

Generation Me - Chapter 8

Also see my article: Me, MySpace and iPod: Tales of a Culture Stuck in the Mirror Phase of Development and Its Moral Implications

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1:

YOU DON'T NEED THEIR APPROVAL: The Decline of Social Rules

CHAPTER 2:

AN ARMY OF ONE: Me

CHAPTER 3:

You Can Be Anything You Want to Be

CHAPTER 4:

The Age of Anxiety (and Depression, and Loneliness): Generation Stressed

CHAPTER 5:

Yeah, Right: The Belief That There's No Point in Trying

CHAPTER 6:

Sex: Generation Prude Meets Generation Crude

CHAPTER 7:

The Equality Revolution: Minorities, Women, and Gays and Lesbians

CHAPTER 8:

Applying Our Knowledge: The Future of Business and the Future of the Young

NOTABLE QUOTES
"So here's how it looks: Generation Me has the highest self-esteem of any generation, but also the most depression. We are more free and equal, but also more cynical. We expect to follow our dreams, but are anxious about making that happen... The first wave of GenMe faces a very different world from what we were led to expect as children. The messages of our youth were ungflaggingly optimistic: You can be anything. Just be yourself. Always follow your dreams..." (p.212).

"And what will GenMe's children be like? This is not as futuristic a question as it sounds - first-wave GenMe'ers are already in the prime child-rearing years of 25 to 35. It is difficult to tell right now if GenMe is adopting the same child-rearing approach as their parents, but it appears that they are. As a result, the next generation may be even more self-focused" (p.215).

"What do these generational changes mean for managers who work with younger people? The first step is to try to understand Generation me - realize that younger employees may have a very different outlook on life... Some will arrive with a feeling of entitlement, believing they deserve everything right away... Be prepared to explain to young people that success and privileges will not happen overnight; add that you know this is frustrating, but it's the way business works. Your patience and understanding will pay off... So what, specifically can you expect from your young employees? They will work hard, but even harder if they are praised and appreciated... This generation is not motivated by feelings of duty - working hard is not virtuous in itself, but it is worth it if they are singled out and recognized" (p.216f.).

"Your young employees wull learn best by doing. Raised with the Internet and in collaborative learning classrooms, they are not used to sitting through long, boring lectures. Training seminars will put them to sleep if they are not interactive. A generation raised not just on television but on cable, they will perk up during a presentation with video clips and moving graphics. They'll perk up even more if you can get them involved through a demonstration or role-playing. One-on-one training should be Socratic and task-oriented - don't just show them something, but have them do it themselves" (p.217f.)

"...young employees may need some guidance on how to deal with older people. They may come off as disrespectful when they are merely being friendly and informal. Some young employees might need to be taught to 'clean up' when talking to older folks, using 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.' and speaking more formally" (p.218).

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Generation Me - Chapter 7

Also see my article: Me, MySpace and iPod: Tales of a Culture Stuck in the Mirror Phase of Development and Its Moral Implications

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1:

YOU DON'T NEED THEIR APPROVAL: The Decline of Social Rules
CHAPTER 2:

AN ARMY OF ONE: Me

CHAPTER 3:

You Can Be Anything You Want to Be

CHAPTER 4:

The Age of Anxiety (and Depression, and Loneliness): Generation Stressed

CHAPTER 5:

Yeah, Right: The Belief That There's No Point in Trying

CHAPTER 6:

Sex: Generation Prude Meets Generation Crude

CHAPTER 7:
The Equality Revolution: Minorities, Women, and Gays and Lesbians

NOTABLE QUOTES

"In just four decades, the United States has undergone a transformation of attitudes about women, minorities, and gays and lesbians. The revolution of equality was, without question, the largest social change in America in the last half of the twentieth century. No other trend has had such a colossal impact on every aspect of our lives" (p.181).

Chris Colin in What Really Happened to the Class of '93: "'Tolerance' and 'acceptance' might have become buzzwords in the '90s, but my generation had dealt in those concepts since Sesame Street..." "We are less likely to believe in moral absolutes, so we are tolerant and accept diversity in all its forms" (p.181).

"During the 1980s, however, black Americans' self-esteem increased until it was noticeably higher than whites'. By the 1990s, 58% of blacks, and 61% of black college students, displayed above-average self-esteem. This is surprising given the usual belief that ethnic minorities will have lower self-esteem; clearly, young black Americans feel good about themselves... Black GenMe kids grew up hearing that Black is Beautiful, seeing people who looked like them play doctors and lawyers on TV, and (particularly if they were middle class) expecting to go to college - why shouldn't they feel good about themselves" (p.185)?

"These stories clearly show one of the upsides of individualism: young people who appreciate their culture and can take advantage of opportunities their parents never had. Although economic pressures still limit the goals of many minority youth, their race or ethnicity is no longer an automatic disqualification... But is the upswing in minority kids' self-esteem an unmitigated good? ...It's certainly good for young people to take pride in their ethnic identity, no matter what their background; feeling comfortable in your own skin is obviously important. But like the general self-esteem programs, ethnic self-esteem programs often take things too far and focus on the wrong causes. Raising children's self-esteem is not going to solve the problems of poverty and crime. it doesn't do much good for a child to have high self-esteem if his grades are poor, he gets in trouble in class, and he has no concrete plan for the future" (p.187).

"The feminist message for women is inextrivably linked to the individualist message, and whether girls heard the call of independence from their family or only from the outside culture, they listened. Gender equality is so taken for granted now that these trends are unlikely to reverse; girls growing up right now will become the most liberated generation of women in history - until their own daughters outstrip them" (p.192).

"GenMe girls have also seen their mothers work outside the home more than any other previous generation. In a 2000 survey, 82% of 18-to-22-year-olds said their mothers worked outside the home at least some of the time when they were growing up, compared to 65% of the mothers of Boomers and only 34% of the mothers of the World War II generation. Studies have found that giels with working mothers are more likely to embrace traditionally masculine traits like ambition and independence. Seeing Mom go off to work provides a daily role model for girls, showing them that women have roles outside the home. Many GenMe women - and men - take it for granted that mothers will work at least part of the time" (p.195).

"...today's fathers are clearly more involved than those of previous generations... Married fathers spent three times as much time interacting with their kids in 1998 as they did in 1975" (p.197).

"There is little question that American society has grown more accepting of homosexuality recently, and nowhere is that more evident than among young people... Some teens find their experiences at odds with their religious upbringing. For many, this means that they see gays as sinners, and/or believe that gays can change to be straight. Others find themselves questioning their beliefs" (p.207 & 209).

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. It is interesting that Twenge follows a common pattern and groups ethnicity, gender and sexuality as parallel civil rights issues. Does it seem that there is a difference between generations perception of these issues?

2. Twenge talks about the rise in self-esteem of GenMe's who are part of the African American community. Is this a fair assessment - particularly when considering the current state of many inner city (and largely African American) communities?

3. With the shift in roles toward more egalitarian approaches to both work and parenting, how should institutions begin to redefine their understanding of the role of men and women in both of these settings?

4. Considering the exponential increase of media representations of celebrity and displays of homosexual activity via reality show, sitcom and teenage drama (p.208f.); is it possible that this is contributing to the increase in social experimentation of sexual identity among GenMe?

Generation Me - Chapter 6

Generation Me - Chapter 5

Friday, July 06, 2007

Generation Me - Chapter 4

Generation Me - Chapter 3

Also see my article: Me, MySpace and iPod: Tales of a Culture Stuck in the Mirror Phase of Development and Its Moral Implications

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1:
YOU DON'T NEED THEIR APPROVAL: The Decline of Social Rules
CHAPTER 2:
AN ARMY OF ONE: Me

CHAPTER 3:
You Can Be Anything You Want to Be

NOTABLE QUOTES

"Generation Me has always been taught that our thoughts and feelings are important. It's no surprise that students are now being tested on it. Even when schools, parents, and the media are not specifically targeting self-esteem, they promote the equally powerful concepts of socially sanctioned self-focus, the unquestioned importance of the individual, and an unfettered optimisim about young people's future prospects. This chapter explores the consequences of individualism that go beyond self-esteem, and all of the ways that we consciously and unconsciously train children to expect so much out of life" (p.72).

"Culture Shock! USA, a guidebook to American culture for foreigners, explains: 'Often one sees an American engaged in a dialogue with a tiny child. 'do you want to go home now?' says the parent. 'No,' says an obviously tired, crying child. An so parent and child continue to sit discontentedly in a chilly park. 'what is the matter with these people?' says the foreigner to himself, who can see the child is too young to make such decisions.' It's just part of American culture, the book says: 'The child is acquiring both a sense of responsibility for himself and a sense of his own importance' ...In most of the countries of the world, parents feel that their obligation is to raise an obedient child who will fit into society. The little ego must be molded into that of a well-behaved citizen. Not so here [in the U.S.]. ...the top priority is to raise an individual capable of taking advantage of opportunity" (p.75f.).

Educational psychologist, Michele Borba: "Too many parents subscribe to the myth that if you discipline children, you're going to break their spirit... The 'Me Generation' is raising the 'Me-Me-Me Generation'" (p.76).

"...another change from previous generations: the length of time GenMe has to pursue dreams. Because we expect to marry and have children later, it's more acceptable to spend your entire twenties pursuing 'dream' careers like music, screenwriting, or comedy. Jeffrey Arnett calls that period emerging adulthood, a time when 'no dreams have been permanently dashed, no doors have been firmly closed, every possibility for happiness is still alive. That period is getting longer and longer..." (p.83).

"...tattoos and nose rings might not be just random fashion trends after all. Instead, they are a medium for self-expression and the communication of individuality. The fit the generational trend perfectly: they are outward expressions of the inner self. They allow you to be different and unique. It's so important to be an indivdual, and to communicate that fact to others, that young people routinely tattoo it onto their skin" (p.97).

"Ask someone in GenMe when adulthood begins, and a surprising number will say 30. For this generation, your early twenties - and often your late twenties - are a time to move around, try different things, and date different people" (p.97).

"...Kids have much more spending power these days, and parents include them in many more consumer decisions... Materialism is the most obvious outcome of a straightforward, practical focus on the self: you want more things for yourself. You feel entitled to get the best in life: the best clothes, the best house, the best car. You're special; you deserve special things" (p.100).

"So many products now cater to the tastes of the individual. Instead of listening to the radio and hearing what everyone else does, we program our own special mix on our iPod, put in the headphones, and enter an individually created world. We even choose unique ring tones for our cell phones. Instead of three or four network stations, we can watch cable channels dedicated to our own interests. Instead of watching TV live with everyone else in our time zone, we TiVo it and warch it when we want to... Individualism has driven the increasingly large universe of consumer choice in other things as well... From clothing to cars to jewelry, consumer products are designed to exhibit the wants of the unique self. 'Shopping, like everything else, has become a means of self-exploration and self-expression,' writes David Brooks" (p.101).

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

1. This chapter addresses the socially constructed idea that everyone in America can have what Andy Warhol referred to as their "15 minutes of fame." Is it possible that we are fueling dreams so much in this generation that there is an absence of reality in their lives? Does this create a dellusional state of mind?

2. Aldous Huxley wrote the dystopian novel Brave New World. In it, youth are controlled and confined through the tantalizing prison of pleasure and dream-states. Is it possible that this "You Can Be Anything You Want to Be" message cultivates a spirit of bondage in our culture?

3. On page 90, Twenge uses the example of an associate pastor (Lucy) from the television show, 7th Heaven, to illustrate how even our models of Christian leadership fuel this self-love, self-esteem mindset. What are the practical and theological repurcussions of the Church fueling this idea? At what point does this become self-contradictory?

4. Twenge suggests that materialism is the inevitable outcome of self-focus (p.100). In what ways do the small concessions during childhood amplify the concessions made during adolescence and adulthood?

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Generation Me - Chapter 2

"Narcissists are overly focused on themselves and lack empathy for others, which means they cannot see another person's perspective... They also feel entitled to special privileges and believe that they are superior to other people. As a result, narcissists are bad relationship partners and can be difficult to work with. Narcissists are also more likely to be hostile, feel anxious, compromise their health, and fight with friends and family. Unlike those merely high in self-esteem, narcissists admit that they don't feel close to other people... Narcissism is the darker side of the focus on the self, and is often confused with self-esteem. Self-esteem is often based on solid relationships with others, whereas narcissism comes from believing that you are special and more important than other people" (p.68-70).

"Many young people alse display entitlement, a facet of narcissism that involves believing that you deserve and are entitled to more than others... The rise in narcissism has very deep roots. It's not just that we feel better about ourselves, but that we even think to ask the question. We fixate on self-esteem, and unthinkingly build narcissism, because we believe that the needs of the individual are paramount. This will stay with us even if the self-esteem programs end up in the dustbin of history..." (p.70f.)

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. How does the version of self-esteem that Twenge discusses in this chapter differ from a strong sense of self? (see Martin Seligman's contrast of 'traditional- and California-self, p.50f.)

2. In the 1960s, Boomers were referred to as "the 'Me' Generation," but Twenge suggests that this was more temporary fad during the adolescence period. It isn't until the 1990s that the true Generation Me emerges (p.50). In what ways do these two generations differ? Is it possible that one generation are immigrants while the other are natives to these narcissistic tendencies?

3. One of the philosophical implications of the self-esteem movement was to "make kids feel good about themselves' rather than speaking of achievement, ideals, goals, character, or decency" (p.64). At what point does the need to make a student 'feel good' get in the way of truly preparing people for the future? (see on p.64 the "Kids who are given meaningless As..." quote)

4. What are the consequences of leaving a 'mindset of entitlement' (p.70) unchallenged?

SUPPLEMENTAL AIDS FOR THIS CHAPTER

Yanick Rice Lamb
Parenting Magazine - Proud to be me!

Tom Wolfe
Article - The Me Decade and the Third Great Awakening

Steve Gillon
Book - Boomer Nation: The Largest and Richest Generation Ever, and How It Changed America

David Brooks
Book - Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There
Wikipedia - Bobos in Paradise

Jerry Rubin
Book - Growing Up at 37

CNN - New Age Mystic to Become Mom at 57

Alexandra Robbins
Book - Conquering Your Quarter-Life Crisis

Emily Griffin
Book - Something Borrowed

Thomas Patterson
Article - Doing Well and Doing Good: How Soft News and Critical Journalism Are Shrinking the News Audience and Weakening Democracy - And What New Outlets Can Do About It

USA Weekend
Report - 11th Annual Special Teen Report: Teens and Self-Image: Survey Results

Albert Ellis
Book - The Myth of Self-Esteem: How Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Can Change Your Life Forever

Diane Loomans
Book - The Lovables in the Kingdom of Self-Esteem

Maureen Stout
Book - The Feel-Good Curriculum: The Dumbing Down of America's Kids in the Name of Self-Esteem

Article - The Danger of Self-Esteem Programs

Global Ideas Bank
Article - Magic Circle to Enhance Child's Self-Esteem

William B. Swan
Book - Self-Traps: The Elusive Quest for Higher Self-Esteem

Lauren Murphy Payne
Book - A Leader's Guide to Just Because I Am: A Child's Book of Affirmation

Rita Kramer
Book - Ed School Follies: The Miseducation of America's Teachers

Nancy Gibbs
TIME Magazine Article - Parents Behaving Badly

Max Lucado
Book - You Are Special

Generation Me - Chapter 1

Jean Twenge has written a very interesting book studying today's youngest generation to have come of age. In these postings, I will begin to provide key quotes and references that have stood out to me. From that, I have posted a few questions for reflection. For more information on this book, I encourage you to explore her website: generationme.org

Also see my article: Me, MySpace and iPod: Tales of a Culture Stuck in the Mirror Phase of Development and Its Moral Implications

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1:
YOU DON'T NEED THEIR APPROVAL: The Decline of Social Rules

NOTABLE QUOTES

"Getting dressed in the morning is a fundamentally different experience today than it was forty years ago. For all of Generation Me's lifetime, clothes have been a medium of self-expression, an individual choice in a range of alternatives and comfort. Contrast this to past decades, when men wore ties most of the time and women did not leave the house without crisp white gloves and a tight girdle... The trend toward more informal dress has accelerated in the past ten years, with may companies opting for "business casual" and others going for just plain casual... This is a perfect illustration of generational trends in attitudes, as the entire point in dressing up is to make a good impression on others and elicit their approval. You don't dress formally for yourself or for your comfort; if you really wanted to do things "your way" and just for yourself, you'd wear jeans to work." (p.17-19)

This is the social trend - so strong it's really a revolution - that ties all of the generational changes together in a neat, tight bundle: so what makes you happy, and don't worry about what other people think. It is enormously different from the cultural ethos of previous decades, and it is a philosophy that GenMe takes entirely for granted." (p.20)

"Not caring what others think may also explain the decline in manners and politeness. Because we no longer believe that there is one right way of doing things, most of us were never taught the rules of etiquette... most etiquette was developed to provide something often lacking in modern society: respect for other people's comfort." (p.26)

"Boomers laid claim to the phrase "question authority" during the 1960s. But GenMe doesn't just question authority - we disrespect it entirely... This is the eventual outcome of increased informality and the loosening of social rules, and many people would rightly argue that questioning things is good. Sometimes "traditions" are outmoded and need challenging. But sometimes GenMe takes the questioning of authority a little too far." (p.28)

"The message: We are all equals here. I might have a Ph.D. and years of experience, but that doesn't mean I know any more than you. That is, of course, a lot of the reason for the crumbling of authority and the new acceptance of questioning those in charge. This new democracy in education and the workplace has been energized by the new informality in dress and names. While the boss was once "Mr. Smith" or "Mrs. Jones," now bosses are instead "Mike" or "Linda." "Mr." and "Mrs." sound too stiff and formal - and old fashioned. When we're all on a first-name basis, the specter of authority takes yet another step back into the shadows of a previous era. " (p.29)

"Classrooms are increasingly structured for teachers to be "facilitators" rather than authority figures. Lecturing is frowned upon; "collaborative learning" is in. Class presentations and group projects are common. Sometimes the teacher hardly says anything." (p.29)

"GenMe is also less willing to follow the rules of organized religion... Many young people abandon organized religion because of, you guessed it, the restrictive rules it often imposes... Many of the churches that have grown in membership in the past few decades are the fundamentalist Christian denominations that do require more strict adherence. However, these churches promote a very personalized form of religion." (p.34f.)

"Rick Warren, author of the popular Christian book The Purpose-Driven Life, writes, "Accept yourelf. Don't chase after other people's approval... God accepts us unconditionally, and in His view we are all precious and priceless." These denominations teach that one's personal faith guarantees acceptance into heaven, not the good works you perform and the way you treat others (which traditionally degined a proper spiritual outlook and its rewards). Even if you are a murderer, you will be saved if you accept Jesus as your personal savior. Of course, most adherents strive to live good lives, but personal beliefs are considered important." (p.35)

"We think that confession is good for the soul, and this no longer means whispering to a priest in a dark booth. It means telling everything about your experiences and feelings, no matter how distasteful..." (p.36)

"The openness extends to all kinds of communications at work and at home. Some older business managers complain that young people today are too blunt. These managers say that young employees ask for instant feedback that's straightforward and uncomplicated, and give it in return. Some managers are surprised at young people's willingness to critique the performance of older people - it's a combination of the eroding respect for authority and the compulsive honesty of the younger generation... Young people see their directness as an asset... Previous generations were unconcerned about seeing someone else's "core self," but for GenMe "not being yourself" equates to being somehow unwhole and false." (p.39)

"These days, saying anything you want often includes words you might not want to say in front of your grandmother. Whether you're for or against this trend, it's clear that swearing is just not the shocker it used to be. The relaxation of the rules against swearing mirrors the same social trend as all of the others here - we swear because we don't care as much about what other people think." (p.40)

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. This chapter presents a convincing thesis: that we are in the midst of a revolution of what are considered acceptable social rules which define this generation as being radically different to the cultural ethos of previous decades (p.20). The new rule: do things your way - self-interest supercedes the expectations of those around you - or "I don't care what anyone else thinks, I'm doing things my way." Does this mindset foster or pervert the quest for authentic community?

2. One of the first illustrations Twenge uses is the deformalizing of dress in social settings (p.17-19). What is to be gained and lost when conformity to fashion codes has been replaced with personal taste? In particular, what are the implications for institutions and organizations which insist upon uniformity in dress?

3. The idea of "making a good impression" and "eliciting the approval of others" are values that are largely rejected in GenMe. Twenge suggests that "most etiquette was developed to provide something often lacking in modern society: respect for other people's comfort" (p.26). What is the importance of having "rules of etiquette" in our society?

4. Educational institutions have largely moved pedagogical strategies that are instructivist to constructivist approaches. Twenge says that "Classrooms are increasingly structured for teachers to be "facilitators" rather than authority figures. Lecturing is frowned upon; "collaborative learning" is in. Class presentations and group projects are common. Sometimes the teacher hardly says anything" (p.29). Do we do our students a disservice if we apply a radically constructivist approach to classroom study?

5. This generation has been fueled by the idea of tailor-making one's own form of spirituality. Twenge refers to this as "a very personalized form of religion" (p.35). Evangelicals are modeled as fueling this hyper-individualism with our emphasis upon personal salvation. Twenge sees a disconnect between the personalized spirituality in evangelical churches and "good works you perform and the way you treat others" (p.35). Is there truth to this? Are there any correctives that could be employed in church practice that would theologically remain true to personal religion while teaching that faith without works is dead?

6. In an instant feedback culture (p.39), critique and easily slip into criticism and open communication into the most destructive forms of gossip. For sometime, organizational consultant have talked about "flattening authority structures." With this has come what Twenge calls "the eroding respect for authority and the compulsive honesty of the younger generation" (p.39). In what ways can respect and submission to authority be fostered in work environments? How can we encourage younger generations to tap into the wisdom of those who have more life experience than them?

SUPPLEMENTAL AIDS FOR THIS CHAPTER

General Social Survey 2000
Report - American Generations: Who they are. How they live. What they think.

The Asch Effect - A partial and non-evaluative history of the Asch Effect

William Hedges and Marian Martinello
Article - What the Schools Might Do: Some Alternatives for the Here and Now

Ron Zemke, Claire Raines and Bob Filipczak
Book - Generations at Work

Sonja Steptoe
Time Magazine - Minding their Manners

Claire Raines
Book - Beyond Generation X: A Practical Guide for Managers

Josephson Institute
Report - Survey documents decades of moral deterioration: Kids today are more likely to cheat, steal and lie than kids 10 years ago

Peter Sacks
Book - Generation X Goes to College

Debra Pickett and Janet Rausa Fuller
Chicago Sun-Times article - Teens Shifting Balance of Power

CBS News
The Class of 2000

Robert Putnam
Book & Interactive Site - Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

Chris Colin
Book - What Really Happened to the Class of 93: Start-ups, Drop-outs, and other Navigations Through an Untidy Decade

Jean Twenge
Abstract - Changes in the Need for Social Approval

Generation Me - Introduction

Friday, June 29, 2007

Me, MYSpace, and IPod: Tales of a Culture Stuck in the Mirror Stage of Development and Its Moral Implications

"Self-help is no help at all. Self-Sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?"
Mark 8:36f. (MSG)

"The seed of vanity is too deeply sewn in their young hearts for me to dare to cultivate it."
Catherine Booth (on fashion and parenting) in Catherine Booth: A Sketch by Mildred Duff

INTRODUCTION

A few weeks ago I came across the book, Generation Me by sociologist Jean Twenge. In it, she explores the psyche and culture of the newest generation to have come-of-age, what some have referred to as millennials (also generation-y, net-gen, screenagers, myspace generation, etc. etc. ad nauseum). I bought this book because of its' subtitle: "Why today's young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled - and more miserable than ever before."

What I find interesting about this book is its' recognition of a growing narcissism in today's culture. What Twenge is discussing in her book is manifesting itself in several of our societies traditional institutions: family, school, the workplace... even the pews of our local churches! As a result, her research is something which is uncomfortable, but necessary to engage if we are going to know how to effectively engage in ministry to today's youth.

After working with several teens and young adults over the past ten years and recognizing a shift taking place marked by a rapid growth in a mindset of entitlement, I began searching for resources to help me understand this growing trend. Besides Twenge and a few other social theorists, I didn't find much. As a result, I have decided to write this paper which I have entitled, "Me, MySpace, and IPod: Tales of a Culture Stuck in the Mirror Stage of Development and its Moral Implications." In this paper, I propose that we are currently living in a culture that has mass-marketed the idolization of self. We have created a series of technologies that has inundated us with media mirrors that fuel what I call "hyper-narcissism." Unfortunately, this image has been bought and consumed on a mass-scale. In many ways, we could say that our society - Christian and non-Christian alike - have "drunk the Kool-Aid" and joined the cult!

THE MEDIUM IS MASSAGING THE ILLUSION

It seems as though so many youth today are living in a fantasy world - a simulacrum of self-absorption - an illusionary world which we are convinced is real. As the French sociologist, Jean Baudrillard satirically proclaims: "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!" (Baudrillard, America; 1) Youth sojourn in today's world convinced that they are all that exists because they are living in a consumer economy that caters to their every whim - whether this be voting for your latest music idol, personally reviewing movies, choosing the latest sandwich at fast-food chains, or participating in hand-crafted religious worship experiences. Everywhere youth go they are saturated with one message: "we are here to serve you."

Time Magazine even picked up on this at the end of 2006 when

their person of the year ended up being ourselves. On the cover is a computer with the word, "You." A quick viewing of the article identifies how we are living in an age where everyone has a "voice" in our society. I would argue that this is a good thing, but when everyone is expressing their voice on any and every issue... at what point does this all simply become noise? When all that a person does is speak their opinion, at what point do they begin to listen to the opinion of others?

We live in a culture where iPods are marketed as blank canvases where a person paints self-portraits via music and media which provide a window to their soul. Even the human body has become a canvas to communicate self through tattoos and piercings. As the late Marshall McLuhan once said, "the medium is the message." The medium (whether flesh or machine) projects to the world and back to us who we think we are - psychologically and socially. He goes on to suggest later in life that the medium is also the massage - that it coaxes us to live with the psychological and social repurcussions that come with a new form of technology (McLuhan, The medium is the massage). We have been 'massaged' into believing in the very marketable idea that our iPod gigabytes contain (Pod) the essence of self (I)!

MAGIC MIRROR - OFF THE WALL DEVELOPMENT

This has fueled this self-absorbed trend. Think about it: MY-Space, YOU-Tube, FACE-book, Second LIFE... These are some of the most popular socal networking sites on the planet. At what point do we begin to see this as a giant golden calf - the creation and idolization of self?

The Queen from our popular myth, Snow White articulates the heartbeat of our culture today when she states:

"Magic Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" Unfortunately the Queen lived in the protective cloisters of her palace where people would tell her all that she wants to hear. When the mirror doesn't tell her what she presupposes is true, she competetively sidelines morality to champion self - she literally wants the heart of her fairest competition. Why? Because the ultimate response that she wants to hear from her magical technology that she is the fairest of them all. Does this sound like a familiar syndrome we enounter in today's culture? In what ways does our hyper-narcissism undermine the moral fibers of our being? In what ways does this self-consumption convince us that we are the only god we need?

In Dante's Divine Comedy, he outlines seven deadly sins and recognizes narcissism or vanity as the original and most deadly of sins. He defines it as "love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor." Dante illustrates this with the image of a bourgeois woman admiring herself in a mirror held by the devil - whom he suggests is no less than Lucifer himself - assigned to fuel vanity and pride.

Another illustration of this radical form of ethical egoism is the

Greek myth of Narcissus. This was the story of a young man who one day took a drink from a river only to see what he was convinced was ultimate beauty (naturally... himself!). He gazed into the river and was so consumed by the mirroring of his own self-reflection that it eventually destroyed him. It is no coincidence that the definition of narcissism is "inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity."

In 1984, the MIT scholar, Sherry Turkle wrote an interesting book entitled, The Second Self. She was studying the relationship of children to technology. She uses the mythic story of Narcissus and links it to the work of French psychologist Jacques Lacan who speaks of the "mirror stage" of development. She states, "Mirrors, literal and metaphorical, play an important role in human development. In literature, music, visual art, or computer programming, they allow us to see ourselves from the outside, and to objectify aspects of ourselves we have perceived only from within" (Turkle, The Second Self; 155).

Turkle proposes that our constructed technologies serve as a conduit for identity development: "But of the computer we ask more. We ask not just about where we stand in nature, but about where we stand in the world of artifact. We search for a link between who we are and what we have made, between who we are and what we might create, between who we are and what, through out intimacy with our own creations, we might become" (Turkle, The Second Self; 12). In many ways, there is a direct relationship between who this generation understands "ME" to be, and what our iPods and MySpaces reflect back to us. At what point though, do we begin to ask whether this generation is developmentally stuck in an infantile stage of development?

IDENTITY CRISIS: WHO MIMICS WHOM?

Challenges emerge when identity is in a continual entropic (i.e., changing) state. In today's culture, some propose that one's identity is composed of multiple possible selves (see Markus & Nurius, "Possible Selves" American Psychologist, 1986). Kenneth Gergen suggests that "...as we become increasingly conjoined with our social surroundings, we come to reflect those surroundings. There is a populating of the self, reflecting the infusion of partial identities through social saturation. And there is the onset of a multiphrenic condition, in which one begins to experience the vertigo of unlimited multiplicity" (Gergen, The Saturated Self; 49).

Gergen therefore suggests that people eventually end up not really knowing who they are at all. As Oscar Wilde said, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life." In other words, when all that we do is interact with the world in a narcissistic way, not only do we become blind to others, but we also really begin to become confused about who we are, which eventually leads to becoming anything, everything... and eventually nothing. Therefore, hyper-narcissism does not fuel individuality, rather the individual simply becomes a mimic of all that surrounds them.

If you go back and look at the iPod campaign from a couple of

years ago, you will notice how the individuals are colored black (shadowed), the iPod is white (like a canvas) and the backdrop is a multiplicity of colors. In fact, many campaigns would combine several of these images together in a way reminicent to Andy Warhol's depiction of the silk screened Mickey Mouse. Warhol was the king of pop - producing mass-produced art.

I would like to suggest that iPod's promotional campaign about individuality actually is a campaign for mass-concession - willing consent to popular culture. At what point does this move from a healthy means to navigate through the social spheres of everyday life to something that becomes hegemonic and dangerously self-contradictory? I fear that we might be crossing that line in today's culture... and that the Church is not standing as a prophetic voice, but rather the champion salesman! (See my article Lolli-pop Spirituality: Why Youth Are Crashing From Sugar-Coated Christianity.)

One could easily propose that our culture is in a state of identity crisis. It is rather ironic that the Socratic mandate to "know thyself" has become so difficult in the hall of mirrors that we live in today. Amusement parks historically have had halls of mirrors where people are invited to enter into a labyrinth of optically reflective materials. These rooms are intended to stretch and distort people's reflections of self... and often leave people either laughing or crying as they get lost in their journey through the maze. I wonder whether this is an apt metaphor for where we find ourselves in today's culture? Could it be that the distorted mirrors which surround us have acutally confused our journey to understand who we are? These distortions particularly become deceptive when we begin to try to understand who we are in Chirst.

When a person becomes convinced that they are all that exists, it is no surprise that a spirit of entitlement eventually ensues. People who are stuck in the infantile mirror-phase of development will obviously often resort to acting spoiled. It's no surprise that one of the most popular dolls sold to tween girls these days are called "Bratz." Jean Twenge's book picks up on this. She says, "Many young people also display entitlement, a facet of narcissism that involves believing that you deserve and are entitled to more than others... The rise in narcissism has very deep roots. It's not just that we feel better about ourselves, but that we even think to ask the question. We fixate on self-esteem, and unthinkably build narcissism, because we believe that the needs of the individual are paramount. This will stay with us even if self-esteem programs end up in the dustbin of history..." (Twenge, Generation Me; 70f.). Journalist Martha Irvine referred to today's youth as the "Entitlement Generation." Beverly Smallwood, exploring the dangers of our culture's sense of entitlement states that, "A dangerous cancer is eating away at the soul of modern society, causing distress in our homes and workplaces alike. What is it, and what is the antidote?" It seems that our society simply proposes solutions that add fuel to the fire - more self-esteem classes, therapy sessions where people reflection on Maslowian 'self-actualization' ...even popular films recognize the problem but lack solutions.

ABOUT FACE: THE TRUTH ABOUT NARCISSISM

This begs me to ask the hard, but important question: what are the moral and theological consequences of this radical form of egotistic practice? How does this effect how we live in this world, what we value, what we pursue? What are the repurcussions of self-absorption (or self-love) in relationship of oneself to the other (particularly the marginal other)... or more importantly, the relationship of humanity to God?

I am always encouraged by the work of C.S. Lewis. Regarding his book, Till We Have Faces, he

uses a retelling of the ancient greek mythlogical tale of Cupid and Psyche to address distorted and true beauty, justice and love. Lewis uses this relationship as a metaphor for the relationship of self to God: "The idea was that a human being must become real before it can expect to receive any message from the superhuman; that is, it must be speaking with its voice (not borrowed voices), expressing its actual desires (not what it imagines it desires), being for good or ill itself, not any mask, veil, or persona" (CS Lewis in a letter to Dorothy Conybeare, 1964).

As long as we continue to buy into the idea of burying ourselves in our own process of creating things in our image we will continue to distance ourselves from our true Creator in whose image we have been made (Genesis 1:27; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Just looking at the story of the Tower of Babel jumps out as a powerful reminder of what happens when we try to build things which deify self (Genesis 11). When we pursue such a goal, it will inevitably result in confusion, divison and then eventual destruction of what we create, those with whom we are in community, and eventually ourselves.

There is great potential for selfless, Christ-like altruism in today's culture. Encountering God and loving others unconditionally, I would argue, provides the proper framework within which to understand the deep and profound question, "Who am I?" Jesus says, "If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me" (Matthew 10:39 MSG).

I am not proposing that everyone destroy their iPods or never utilize a social networking site. I am rather suggesting that we keep things in perspective - that we don't get lost in the labyrinth of our mirror-driven technoculture. As Catherine Booth understood so aptly in the 19th Century, what we wear directly interacts with who we are. This is why she was set to ensure that she not cultivate vanity in the hearts of her children by pursuing simplicity in the clothes they wore (see the quote at the beginning of this paper).

My prayer is that we recognize that our mirrors can be strongholds... and that the destruction of the hold these mirrors have on us will not bring about seven years of bad luck - as the traditional legend goes, but rather a freedom from the bondage that has held this generation in its grip for way too long.

"Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for."
Elisabeth Elliot Keep a Quiet Heart

What are your thoughts? I would love to interact with others who have also been wrestling with this issue.

WORKS CITED

Baudrillard, J. (1989). America. Verso.

Bussey, S. (2006). Lolli-pop spirituality: Why youth are crashing from sugar-coated christianity. Journal of Aggressive Christianity. 46, p.21. http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_046.pdf (Downloaded: June, 2006).

Dante Alighieri. (2003). The divine comedy. (trans. John Ciardi) NAL Trade.

Duff, M. (2004). Catherine Booth: A sketch. London: Kessinger Publishing

Elliot, Elisabeth. (2004). Keep a quiet heart. Revell.

Gergen, K.J. (1991). The saturated self: Dillemmas of identity in contemporary life. USA: Basic Books.

Grossman, L. (2006). Time's person of the year: You. Time Magazine. December 13, 2006. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html (Downloaded: June, 2006).

Irvine, M. (2005). The young labelled entitlement generation. Free Republic. June 27, 2005. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1431497/posts. (Downloaded: June, 2007).

Lewis, C.S. (1980). Till we have faces. Harvest Books.

McLuhan, M. & Fiore, Q. (2005). The medium is the massage. Ginko Press.

Smallwood, B. (2007). Sense of entitlement. http://www.sideroad.com/Personal_Development/sense-of-entitlement.html (Downloaded: June, 2007).

Smith, C.B. (1964). Letters to a Sister from Rose Macaulay (1964) 261; also at Hooper, Companion (see IX) 252]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Till_We_Have_Faces. (Downloaded: June, 2007).

Turkle, S. (1984). The second self: Computers and the human spirit. New York: Touchstone.

Twenge, J.M. (2006). Generation me: Why today's young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled - and more miserable than ever before. New York: Free Press.

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