Students maintain lazy attitudes, demeanors

Researchers contend that many young people are unapologetically focused on their self-interests and assume that the world will accommodate their demands. As opposed to working to attain a goal, today's generation of youth seems to feel entitled to success.

And rather than refuting that assessment, numerous students at Point Park University agreed with the contentions.

"The teachers that I have talked to say that this generation is different than any other," said Jodi Welch, a jazz teacher at Point Park who has more than 30 years of teaching experience with high school and college students. "They have had to deal with a lot of new issues with their students that just didn't come up in the past."

The entitlement attitude has become so prevalent in modern American culture that dozens of psychologists, sociologists and other researchers have conducted studies and tests to define the characteristics and dynamics of this anomalous generation.

Joshua Foster, a psychology professor at the University of South Alabama, conducted extensive research and administered the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) to a range of demographic groups around the world. The NPI asks subjects to rate the accuracy of different self-absorbed statements such as "I can live my life any way I want to" and "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place."

American teenagers proved to have the highest scores.

"Yeah, I have the entitled attitude, but I think everyone our age does. There's no escaping it," said Amanda Crivaro, a junior advertising and public relations major, said. "You just can't tell us no because we will still do what we want."

Another student agreed.

"We are a very selfish society. Everyone is out for themselves. I do think I have it," Ryan Sulli, a freshman broadcasting major, said.

Jean M. Twenge, a San Diego State University psychology professor, labeled the children of Baby Boomers "Generation Me." In her book, "Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - and More Miserable - Than Ever Before," Twenge attributes the entitlement attitude of members born 1970 and onward to a variety of changes made in modern American culture.

Twenge identifies parents as the main breeders and facilitators of the entitlement mindset. The progressive, radical changes in American culture that characterized Baby Boomers' young adult lives transformed into the way in which they raised their children. Diverging from the authoritative upbringing of their parents, Baby Boomers urged their children to be more expressive, free-thinking and confident. Guidance, not control, was the method of choice over shaping behavior and outlook.

Twenge and many other experts agree that instructional approaches contribute to the entitled attitude. In the classroom, children are praised for good efforts, while teachers avoid being critical of their students for fear of suppressing their imaginative and unique perspectives. They focus on supporting personal expression versus teaching right and wrong. Similarly, sports teams, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops and other activities all greatly reward children for mere participation.

"We are lazier because we have false perceptions of what it is to come after our work [at school]. Our generation has seen stars and celebrities who have not worked very hard and gotten really far. We've never struggled like our parents, and we don't see why we should," Monteze Freeland, a senior theater major, said.

Another student offered similar observations.

"I think we expect too much. Older generations worked harder for less. We are stereotypically lazier, but that's because we're used to getting things easier," Marissa Magnuson, a junior dance major, said.

Ron Aslop, author of "The Trophy Kids Grow Up: How the Millennial Generation is Shaking up the Workforce," describes the attitude of young employees. Children have become accustomed to receiving a pat on the back, a trophy or a ribbon for every endeavor, no matter whether it was a success or failure. Aslop noted that constant praise, self-esteem boosting and unrealistic expectations do not prepare members of the entitled generation for increasingly competitive workplaces.

Twenge also found that "GenMe'ers" are more likely to abandon personal responsibility and blame others for failures resulting in a generation that does not hold itself accountable and expects to be exonerated from any repercussions. Externality, or believing that outside matters determine an individual's fate, protects a person's self-esteem. Young people guard their self-confidence by refusing to admit that their talent, intellect or work was not adequate.

"A lot of my friends consider everything they do as a big step, so they think that a big reward is in order. In actuality, why is that a big step? It's just the next step. We often act like we're doing the right things, but we don't really take the right steps," Freeland said. "I'm a theater major, so there are kids who want to immediately work with the big names and producers. But I kind of do feel like I deserve a job. I feel like I've put in my dues here. I have put in the time, so now I should get paid."

Countering criticisms about the entitled generation, some researchers believe that a self-centered and arrogant attitude is imperative to prosper in the present job market. Already, employment opportunities are more competitive. The world has presented new challenges unlike few have had to cope with before. "GenMe," some experts believe, will need its shameless arrogance and defiant attitudes to be the innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs of an unpredictable future.

Regardless of how the "Entitled Generation" may be perceived, its members are not the future; they are right now. As more and more join the adult population, American society will again undergo a departure from traditional ways. One aspect is for sure, however; members of the "Entitled Generation" will have to be diligent, determined and tactful. In this way, they will not be so much different from their predecessors.