This generation is much maligned, but is it deserved?
Like all generations before us, we Boomers have strong opinions about the upcoming crop. I’m talking about Millennials, those born between 1982-1999, who are somewhere between 18 and 36 today. Common wisdom, promoted by popular media, paints an unflattering picture of these kids. They have a number of nicknames that supposedly capture their essence — Generation Whine, The Trophy Generation, The Entitled Generation, Generation Me, to name a few. Researchers, with Psychologist Jean Twenge of San Diego State University leading the charge, have come up with the following profile of Millennials:
They’re narcissistic:
Narcissism in the clinical sense is regarded negatively by psychologists. While narcissists are self-confident and extroverted, they can have an over-inflated view of themselves, and can act aggressively when insulted or confronted. They lack empathy and prefer to dominate others, and are not good at intimate relationships.
