Jumbos are known for their civic engagement - a school-wide emphasis on community involvement, volunteer work and philanthropy gives Tufts students a reputation for putting the needs of others above their own. According to a new study, though, college students are more narcissistic than ever, and parents might be to blame for the upsurge.
The study, led by Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University and author of the book "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - and More Miserable Than Ever Before," analyzed 16,475 responses by college students to an assessment called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) from the years 1982 to 2006.
The NPI asks individuals to respond to statements like, "If I ruled the world it would be a better place," or "I think I am a special person," and then places individuals on a narcissistic continuum.
According to the study, more and more college-aged students are scoring in the high range on the NPI since its inception in 1982. In 2006, two-thirds of students received above-average NPI scores, constituting a 30 percent increase since 1982.
In her research and her book, Twenge has traced the upsurge in narcissism to the growth of the "self-esteem movement" in the 1980s, which increased the emphasis on boosting children's self-esteem in school and at home.
According to Tufts Assistant Professor of Psychology Sam Sommers, though, this development could spell future trouble.
"The moral of the story from [Twenge's] line of research seems to be that self-esteem isn't necessarily all that it's cracked up to be," he said. While he agreed that a certain degree of "positive self-regard" is vital, Sommers said he thinks too much emphasis has been placed on "feeling good and special and unique."
According to Sommers, research has demonstrated that people with higher scores on tests like the NPI often exhibit a wide array of negative behavioral tendencies, such as difficulty handling criticism, avoidance of unfamiliar or difficult tasks, aggression in the face of criticism and a lack of empathy for other people. Similarly, Twenge's study found that individuals tend to struggle in maintaining long-term romantic relationships due to an increased risk of infidelity, and often exhibit violent, controlling and dishonest behaviors.
"We place a great deal of emphasis on self-esteem in this country these days, and the research seems to suggest that this myopic pursuit of self-esteem has some real potential costs," Sommers said.
Associate Professor of Child Development Kathleen Camara said she thinks self-esteem does not arise from empty adulation. Instead, a problem emerges "when parents, teachers, and other adults offer praise that is not genuine or earned," she said. "One doesn't develop positive self-esteem by just being told they are wonderful."
Instead, Camara said children develop self-esteem by demonstrating their own competence.
But some students are reluctant to label themselves as a lost generation. Freshman Nick Burns agreed with Sommers that America has emphasized self-esteem, but said this isn't necessarily negative.
"Part of American culture is to insist to kids that they are of value," he said. "Part of being American is you're not just another face in the crowd."
Camara also said the conclusion that reinforcing children is responsible for narcissism may be inaccurate. She suggested that narcissistic tendencies have been traditionally traced to a lack - rather than an excess - of parental love and attention.
According to Camara, though modern parents may tell their children that they are special, the parents' actions don't always back up their words: Increasingly, children have been neglected, as family dinners, recreational activities and bonding time have gone by the wayside.
"When you feel that no one genuinely loves you or thinks that you are important, you may try to protect yourself by building up your own fantasy about being important and special," she said.
Burns views Twenge's assertion - that this generation of college students has become destructively narcissistic and self-centered - with a high degree of skepticism.
"I don't think so," he said when confronted with Twenge's data. "From the people I've met I would say it's not a common attribute of our society. I wouldn't buy that." If anything, Burns said, self-centeredness is something people tend to grow out of by the time they get to college.
"Telling a child you're special or unique is good as long as there is the corollary that you're not better than others, just different," Burns said. "Those are two different things."
