I've got to admit, that the following bit of information doesn't surprise me much. It would be interesting to know the details with regards to a geographic study as it relates to the level of narcissism within Gen Y because I have noticed much higher levels in areas of high population. I do not know why that is, or if it is simply an observation that does not have much merit. I know for me, I grew up in a town with 1000 people in it. We were a local farming community where we learned the value of a work ethic at a very young age. I believe we had beliefs instilled in us of our self worth, and the self worth was correlated to actions, not just because. The article below is interesting. I can see how someone who has an incredibly high self image and not the skill to back it up, or the work ethic to create the necessary skill would have a general disposition towards depression.
Try this thought process on for size--perhaps a stereotypical Gen Y person.
"If I felt I was the best at my occupation, or calling in life, yet all indicators said otherwise, and because I was entitled to be the best just because someone told me I was, the difficulties and challenges to climb the ladder to the top would disallow me from reaching any real level of expertise as that would mean I would have to work more and thus, I would continue to fail time and time again, yet my self belief in how great I am would reinforce the cycle that I was above the work to get better, because for me, I am already perfect, it is all of you around me that aren't smart enough to see my greatness, to bad for you, I think I will sit over here and continue to do nothing and expect everything."
20-somethings have an inflated 'sense of self'
Today's 20-something workers get a bad rap in the workplace, with many people complaining that their work ethic is less developed than their sense of entitlement. But is that really fair? Yes, according to new US research that's yielded actual data to back up that notion.
In a series of studies using surveys that measure psychological entitlement and narcissism, University of New Hampshire management professor Paul Harvey found that "Gen Y" respondents scored 25 percent higher than respondents ages 40 to 60 and a whopping 50 percent higher than those over 61.
In addition, Gen Y's were twice as likely to rank in the top 20 percent in their level of entitlement — the "highly entitled range" — as someone between 40 and 60, and four times more likely than a golden-ager.
As a group, Mr. Harvey says, Gen Yers are characterised by a "very inflated sense of self" that leads to "unrealistic expectations" and, ultimately, "chronic disappointment". And if you think the Gen Yers in your workplace are oversensitive as well as entitled, Harvey's findings back that up, too.
Today's 20-somethings have an "automatic, knee-jerk reaction to criticism," he says, and tend to dismiss it. "Even if they fail miserably at a job, they still think they're great at it."
Of course, to be fair, there's another stereotype about Gen Yers. They may be high-maintenance, but they're committed and idealistic, and determined to do work they believe in. A fair estimation?
No, according to another study, which will be published in the Journal of Management in September. Co-author Stacy Campbell, an assistant professor of management at Kennesaw State University, says the study revealed that when it comes to work, the two things Gen Yers care most about are a) high salaries, and b) lots of leisure time off the job.
"They want everything," says Ms Campbell. "They want the time off. They want the big bucks." To reach their conclusions, Campbell and co-author Jean Twenge — a professor of psychology at San Diego State and author of "Generation Me," a book examining discontent among members of Gen Y — worked over the data from an ongoing survey of high school students conducted annually since 1975 by the University of Michigan.
Time will tell what will become of Gen Y. I think I am technically part of Generation X, and to be honest with you, I do not remember what the studies said about me, or us, or how we would turn out. Perhaps that should be something to check on in the future to determine if there is hope for Gen Y!
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