SMU first-year David Speedlin said he has seen friends do community service simply to put it on a resume for graduate school. He has also witnessed fraternity members backstabbing their own brothers to benefit themselves. One time a frat brother told a false rumor to a girl about another brother only so she would break up with him.
“People look out for No. 1 all the time at this school,” said Speedlin. “I wonder if it is the same at all college campuses.”
A recent study shows that college students are becoming more narcissistic than previous generations. This narcissism can be attributed to a variety of causes.
Dr. Michael Crow has been a lecturer in social psychology at SMU for six years and believes that the rise in narcissism among college students could stem from the way parents raise their children. He said that parents seem to be substantially more permissive or indulgent than years ago.
Crow also said that the movement to enhance children’s self-esteem could play a role in the rise of narcissism among the college-age group. Children are told that they can do anything they want and that they are the best and greatest in an effort to bolster their self-esteem.
Crow said that this type of self-esteem is temporary due to the fact that it is bestowed upon the child rather than earned.
“If an individual earns self-esteem through hard work and accomplishments, that self-esteem will likely hold up when the individual faces difficulties,” Crow said.
SMU first-year Rachel Carey said that the rise in narcissism in college students is occurring because of the nature of their upbringing.
“I definitely think that self-centeredness has increased in our generation,” Carey said. “People in our generation did not work as hard for things; they were just sort of given to us.”
Five psychologists conducted this comprehensive study by examining the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. They gave the studies between 1982 and 2006.
The Narcissistic Personality Inventory is a standardized survey that asks for responses to statements like “If I ruled the world, it would be a better place,” “I can live my life the way I want to” and “I am a special person.”
The scores on this test have risen steadily since 1982, when the test was first introduced. In 1982, only 36 percent of the students who took the survey exhibited above-average scores, while in 2006 the number of students who showed above average scores rose to 66 percent. There was a 30 percent increase in narcissism among college students over the span of 24 years.
Crow has seen examples in the classroom while teaching at SMU where a student’s self-centered attitude has made it hard for him to take responsibility for his own actions.
“I have had students come in late for an exam and be unable to finish during the remaining time. There have been occasions when they felt entitled to have as much time as it takes to finish,” Crow said.
Senior psychology major John Legg said that he thinks there could be a higher level of narcissism amid the SMU population versus some of the other schools around the country.
“I believe that it is a bigger problem here because a higher-than-average proportion of students have lived extremely privileged lives and expect that to continue,” Legg said.
The rise in narcissism among college students could be causing other problems dealing with social interaction as well.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Jean Twenge, said in a San Diego State University press release that people exhibiting high levels of narcissism tend to lack empathy for others, are aggressive when insulted, seek public glory and favor self-enhancement over helping others look good. Dr. Twenge also said that narcissists tend to be materialistic and try to seek fame and attention.
Current advances in technology could be fueling the problem, especially some of the new Web sites that have been cropping up over the Internet said Twenge.
“By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube, whose slogan is ‘Broadcast Yourself,'” Twenge said.
This rise in narcissism can cause all sorts of other problems in the social interactions between people. Crow said that the rise in self-centeredness in a person could explain the way an individual treats people around him.
“Notice how many drivers want to cheat the rules in order to gain a personal advantage. While that itself may not be too bad if one person does it, it can cause more difficulties if large proportions of people refuse to obey the rules for personal gains on the road,” Crow said.
However, a rise in narcissism in recent generations could have some benefits. Dr. W. Keith Campbell, University of Georgia psychology professor, was one of the co-authors of the study. Campbell said that there could be some profit to the increase in narcissism.
“Narcissism feels good and might be useful for meeting new people or auditioning on ‘American Idol’,” Campbell said.
