A colleague and I (both just a little bit "older") have been talking about some of the points that Mike P. raised in his reply to this thread. We both were in high school and starting college in the late 60's to early 70's (Ok, I'm a few years older) and remember just how self-obsessed the 60's-70's youth were. Oh wait, that was me back then! And I DO remember how entitled I felt. WE were the Vietnam generation! WE were the ones being abused by the system and the system owed US.
I read Gen Me and I've heard Jean Twenge speak and I like her work BUT I think there are flaws in her work and I think her point is over-stated. There are cohort effects that she just seems to shrug off. The breakdown in authority was far more pervasive in the Vietnam/Nixon era than now--starting at the top with Nixon and his staff. AND these are many of the folks we now see as early retirees--one of the most self-entitled groups of people around! (Ok, I have no data). But I am fairly certain that with enough time I could dig up some stats on things like: this is the most financially secure group of retirees, on average, we ever have seen or will see in any near future times. Pensions were the norm for people starting their careers in the 1960's and early 1970's and so folks in that group are now retired or about to retire to nice little monthly checks, no matter the state of the economy. And they are "owed" it because they fought in all the past wars and "worked hard" to get us to this wonderful time and place we are in. The "worked hard" mantra is NOT new to our current younger generation thinking they are owed something just for their efforts. Don't get me started. Can you ! ! tell I lived until very recently in a part of San Diego where most retirees retire to? (for those who know the area, Rancho Bernardo...need I say more?) But here is a great article: Arnett, J. J. (2007). Suffering, selfish, slackers? Myths and reality about emerging adults. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 36, 23-29. I got it through our library. Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
