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Called "The Entitlement Generation" or Gen Y, they are storming into schools, colleges, and businesses all over the country. In this provocative new book, headline-making psychologist and social commentator Dr. Jean Twenge explores why the young people she calls Generation Me — those born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s — are tolerant, confident, open-minded, and ambitious but also cynical, depressed, lonely, and anxious.
Herself a member of Generation Me, Dr. Twenge uses findings from the largest intergenerational research study ever conducted — with data from 1.3 million respondents spanning six decades — to reveal how profoundly different today's young adults are. Here are the often shocking truths about this generation, including dramatic differences in sexual behavior, as well as controversial predictions about what the future holds for them and society as a whole. Her often humorous, eyebrow-raising stories about real people vividly bring to life the hopes and dreams, disappointments and challenges of Generation Me.
GenMe has created a profound shift in the American character, changing what it means to be an individual in today's society. The collision of this generation's entitled self-focus and today's competitive marketplace will create one of the most daunting challenges of the new century. Engaging, controversial, prescriptive, funny, Generation Me will give Boomers new insight into their offspring, and help those in their teens, 20s, and 30s finally make sense of themselves and their goals and find their road to happiness.
Review:
"As the Baby Boomers celebrate another milestone — turning 60 — with the usual paroxysms of nostalgia, Jean M. Twenge has a question that may take the wind out of their tie-dyed sails: Have they checked their children lately? According to Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, when it comes to unbridled self-interest, even the self-absorbed Boomer Generation pales... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) in comparison to its spawn: three decades of coddled kids whose untrammeled egos are now running amok in our schools and workplaces. In the insightful and mostly persuasive book of the same name, she christens them 'Generation Me,' though it's the hyperbolic subtitle that will turn heads: 'Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before.' Whence this unprecedented gloom? Twenge, herself an older member of Generation Me, singles out a surprising culprit: the educational film 'Free to Be You and Me.' No, the ubiquitous musical doesn't have a secret Satanic subtext; for Twenge, the sinister content is right on the surface, in the message about loving yourself first and foremost — and forsaking all others. Twenge objects to this philosophical bent, in which self-esteem conquers all. Children born in the last 30 years, she argues, have been taught that feeling good about yourself is the most important thing in life. Self-love is not so much a goal as a birthright, affirmed by the cloying lyrics of a hit 1986 Whitney Houston song ('learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all'). Old-fashioned values like hard work and skill have been cast aside in favor of giving everyone a gold star — because they're good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, people like them! The daily affirmations aren't limited to school. Members of what Twenge calls the most wanted generation in history — thanks to advances in birth control — are told that they can be whatever their hearts desire. In this age of celebrity worship, the preferred career track is wealth and fame (talent notwithstanding). Desiring is the same as deserving — as evidenced by the 'American Idol' phenomenon, in which tuneless singers reject the verdict of the more discriminating judges and howl about their greatness, as their cowed parents nod in agreement. (Twenge might as well have dubbed these budding narcissists 'Generation Moi,' a la Miss Piggy.) But in spite of the best efforts of indulgent parents, touchy-feely teachers and uplifting songs and TV shows, Generation Me is cruising for an emotional bruising, Twenge warns. When these junior superstars reach adulthood (chronologically, at least), they will discover that they don't always get a ribbon just for showing up. Citing similar data to that deployed in Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner's 'Quarterlife Crisis,' Lia Macko and Kerry Rubin's 'Midlife Crisis at 30,' Charles J. Sykes' 'A Nation of Victims' and other cautionary tales about today's youth, Twenge argues that overweening ambition is on a collision course with diminished possibilities. College is more competitive and expensive than ever, she writes; good jobs are fewer and often pay less; the costs of housing, health insurance and child care continue to spiral. Far from becoming millionaire rapper playboys with their own clothing lines, these kids will be lucky to squeak into the middle class. Nor are crushed hopes Generation Me's only burden. High self-esteem doesn't correlate with achievement, according to Twenge; nor does it correlate to lower rates of drug use or teen pregnancy. Indeed, she attributes a spectrum of questionable attitudes and behaviors to the cult of individuality, from cheating on tests and shoplifting to political apathy and traffic violations. If the highest authority is your own volition, anything that contradicts your wishes is suspect, whether it's a school rule or a stop sign. Twenge also blames the quest for self-expression for body art, lavish weddings and mass consumerism, as well as a more casual approach to sex — or, in the parlance of Generation Me, 'hooking up.' But lest certain talk-radio hosts seize on Twenge's work to urge a return to the 'seen, not heard' days of child-rearing, she also identifies some uniquely positive qualities of Generation Me. It embraces diversity of race, religion and sexual identity — a logical extension of the belief that everyone should be 'free to be you and me.' Twenge's theory sometimes overreaches in an effort to explain every aspect of every action of every young person, but such are the perils of popular social science. For anyone who, like Twenge, has had to work with some young thing expecting a smooth ride to the top regardless of performance, her arguments will make a lot of intuitive sense. Even if only half of what Twenge suggests is true, this book should be required reading for parents-to-be — lest the next wave of little darlings turn out even worse. Amanda Henry writes for the Tampa Tribune, VH1.com and Public Radio International." Reviewed by Amanda Henry, Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group) (hide most of this review)
Review:
"Jean Twenge is not only dedicated as a researcher and social scientist, she is clearly passionate about it. In this forward-thinking, clear-eyed book, she immediately stands out as a social critic of substance, in a world of dogmatic and chattering media pundits who are only guessing when they are 'covering' major social trends and generational changes." Paula Kamen, author of Feminist Fatale and Her Way: Young Women Remake the Sexual Revolution
Review:
"Twenge notes that today's young parents are especially lenient with their children and reluctant to discipline them, suggesting that perhaps the next generation will be even worse off....Accessible and a must-read for the generation they address." Booklist
Synopsis:
Called “The Entitlement Generation” or Gen Y, they are storming into schools, colleges, and businesses all over the country. In this provocative new book, headline-making psychologist and social commentator Dr. Jean Twenge explores why the young people she calls “Generation Me”—those born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s—are tolerant, confident, open-minded, and ambitious but also cynical, depressed, lonely, and anxious.
Herself a member of Generation Me, Dr. Twenge uses findings from the largest intergenerational research study ever conducted—with data from 1.3 million respondents spanning six decades—to reveal how profoundly different today’s young adults are. Here are the shocking truths about this generation, including dramatic differences in sexual behavior, as well as controversial predictions about what the future holds for them and society as a whole. Her often humorous, eyebrow-raising stories about real people vividly bring to life the hopes and dreams, disappointments, and challenges of Generation Me.
GenMe has created a profound shift in the American character, changing what it means to be an individual in today’s society. The collision of this generation’s entitled self-focus and today’s competitive marketplace will create one of the most daunting challenges of the new century. Engaging, controversial, prescriptive, funny, Generation Me will give Boomers new insight into their offspring, and help those in their teens, 20s, and 30s finally make sense of themselves and their goals and find their road to happiness.
Synopsis:
A revealing examination of the generation born between the 1970s and the 1990s, called “The Entitlement Generation,” gives Boomers new insight into their offspring and help those in their teens, 20s, and 30s finally make sense of themselves and find their road to happiness.
Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., is a widely published associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University. Her research has appeared in Time, USA TODAY, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and she has been featured on Today and Dateline and National Public Radio's All Things Considered. She holds degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan. Dr. Twenge lives with her husband in San Diego, California.
socknitter, October 27, 2008 (view all comments by socknitter)
As a mother of three kids of this age, and being exposed to many friends, I find this book a glib, self-serving denunciation of programs designed to promote individualism and focus on what kids CAN do well. Twenge is aimed at sensationalizing herself (as a GenMe person, does she lack self-esteem or is she chest-thumping that she EARNED her own self-esteem?) My children have plenty of miserable friends. I can't see how shredding their few positive thoughts of themselves will help. Reading this book for a college class sent my son spiraling into despair, thinking we've just been pumping him full of false esteem (he is, in fact, an high achieving student with interests that range far from mere school: he is an airplane pilot at 16). As a Girl Scout leader (and yes, Twenge has plenty of horrible things to say about the GS program) I spent a lot of time trying to teach sad girls they DO have something to offer and live for. This book is a disservice to young people and parents should take it with a large helping of salt.
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rwilson, May 23, 2007 (view all comments by rwilson)
Parents, schoolteachers, college professors: here is the answer to your question: why are today's kids so different from generations past? so discourteous, self-centered, short-sighted? Twenge conducted research that pretty much proves the answer: when you were born, and when you were 10 years old, has much more influence over your lifeview and behavior than any other factor. Generation Me is written cleverly and passionately. It proves that the "you are special" generation has been badly served by its emphasis on the individual and proposes some interesting approaches to Generation-Me behaviors.
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Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--And More Miserable Than Ever Before
Sale Trade Paper
Jean M. Twenge
"Review"
by Paula Kamen, author of Feminist Fatale and Her Way: Young Women Remake the Sexual Revolution,
"Jean Twenge is not only dedicated as a researcher and social scientist, she is clearly passionate about it. In this forward-thinking, clear-eyed book, she immediately stands out as a social critic of substance, in a world of dogmatic and chattering media pundits who are only guessing when they are 'covering' major social trends and generational changes."
"Review"
by Booklist,
"Twenge notes that today's young parents are especially lenient with their children and reluctant to discipline them, suggesting that perhaps the next generation will be even worse off....Accessible and a must-read for the generation they address."
"Synopsis"
by Netread,
Called “The Entitlement Generation” or Gen Y, they are storming into schools, colleges, and businesses all over the country. In this provocative new book, headline-making psychologist and social commentator Dr. Jean Twenge explores why the young people she calls “Generation Me”—those born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s—are tolerant, confident, open-minded, and ambitious but also cynical, depressed, lonely, and anxious.
Herself a member of Generation Me, Dr. Twenge uses findings from the largest intergenerational research study ever conducted—with data from 1.3 million respondents spanning six decades—to reveal how profoundly different today’s young adults are. Here are the shocking truths about this generation, including dramatic differences in sexual behavior, as well as controversial predictions about what the future holds for them and society as a whole. Her often humorous, eyebrow-raising stories about real people vividly bring to life the hopes and dreams, disappointments, and challenges of Generation Me.
GenMe has created a profound shift in the American character, changing what it means to be an individual in today’s society. The collision of this generation’s entitled self-focus and today’s competitive marketplace will create one of the most daunting challenges of the new century. Engaging, controversial, prescriptive, funny, Generation Me will give Boomers new insight into their offspring, and help those in their teens, 20s, and 30s finally make sense of themselves and their goals and find their road to happiness.
"Synopsis"
by Netread,
A revealing examination of the generation born between the 1970s and the 1990s, called “The Entitlement Generation,” gives Boomers new insight into their offspring and help those in their teens, 20s, and 30s finally make sense of themselves and find their road to happiness.
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