Generation Me<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Sean McDowell
 
 
If you were going to give a label for the generation of under-35-year-olds, what would it be? Suggested labels have included: "Millennials," "Generation Y," and "iGeneration." <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />San Diego State professor Jean Twenge, Ph.D. has aptly offered the name, "Generation Me." The reason, she says, is because it is the first generation who has never known a world that put duty before the self.[1]
This generation of young people has grown up in a culture where the individual always comes first, and feeling good about yourself has always been the primary virtue. "Generation Me" grew up in a culture where focus on the self was not merely accepted; it was actively encouraged. According to Dr. Twenge, young people today have consistently been taught through self esteem programs in school and the media to put their own needs first and to focus on feeling good about themselves. Self-focus really may have blossomed in the 1970's, but it is accepted by Generation Me like a fish accepts water.
For previous generations, duty and responsibility largely trumped individual wants and desires. It was considered virtuous to sacrifice personal desires for the greater good (just consider the movie It's a Wonderful Life). Such is no longer true for today's young people. Dr. Twenge says, "Generation Me believes, with a conviction that approaches boredom because it is so undisputed, that the individual comes first" (p. 43)
            Young people today have grown up in a culture that takes it for granted that they should feel good about themselves, that they are special, and that they ought to follow our own personal dreams regardless of the cost to others. Dr. Twenge lists how the self-focus of this generation shows up in the common sense advice that's often given these days:
 

• Worried about how to act in a social situation? "Just be yourself"
• Concerned about your performance? "Believe in yourself."
• Should you buy the new pair of shoes or get the nose ring? "Yes, express yourself."
• Trying to get rid of a bad habit? "Be honest with yourself." (p. 50)

 
In her careful analysis of news stories published or aired between 1980 and 1999, Dr. Twenge found a large increase in self-referential words (I, mine, myself) and a marked decrease in collective words (humanity, country, or crowd) So powerful has been this cultural change from the group to the individual that even the Army has followed suit. In 2001 their standard slogan became, "An Army of One."
Dancing and Tattoos
The explosion of tattoos and the changing nature of dancing are both deeply connected to this larger cultural shift towards individuality. Rather than being mere fashion trends, tattoos are often a powerful means of self-expression. They allow the individual to give an outer expression to an inner reality. In the minds of many young people, tattoos are a medium for communicating individuality. For previous generations, dancing involved skill, customs, and general rules of conduct to help partners move harmoniously. But today, dancing typically involves individual free-form expression, with only minimal social rules. The most important thing is to express one's self.
The Depressed Generation
The mantra of this generation might be: Do whatever it takes to feel good about yourself, because that's the most important thing in the world. Ironically, when people focus primarily on their own pleasure their lives become empty. Speaking for her generation, Dr. Twenge says, "We focus so much on our individual wants, feeling empty inside, that depression is often the result" (134).
According to happiness expert Dr. Martin Seligman, Baby Boomers experienced a tenfold increase in depression over any previous generation. The reason: they began the shift towards focusing on the self. Young people today have grown up completely with this emphasis, and as a result, they have experienced even higher degrees of depression.
Young people today have many advantages unknown to previous generations: the Internet, cell phones, easier and cheaper travel, improved medical care, better education, less physical labor, equality, and for the most part, the freedom to make their own choices. But the problem, according to Dr. Twenge is, "Our growing tendency to put the self first leads to unparalleled freedom, but it also creates an enormous amount of pressure on us to stand alone. This is the downside of the focus on the self-when we are fiercely independent and self-sufficient, our disappointments loom large because we have nothing else to focus on" (109). This generation has been trained to focus on the self at the expense of a larger purpose in life, and ironically, it is destroying their individual selves.
Reaching this Generation
            Professor Twenge offers a few thoughts worth pondering in our ministries to young people today. First, begin teaching worldviews at a young age. According to Twenge, our values are set in early childhood (around age 10) and then don't change much after that. Second, teach self-control and self-discipline rather than self-esteem (understood as secular self-esteem). As parents, youth workers, and teachers we should not be afraid to correct young people with appropriate discipline and clear boundaries. Third, earn the respect of young people through relationships rather than demand it by mere position. Fourth, teach interactively rather than one-way. Ask good questions. Young people learn best through discussion and interaction rather than lecture. And they will perk up in a presentation using video clips and moving graphics.
 

[1] Jean M. Twenge, Generation Me (New York: Free Press, 2006).