Those kids!

I am not sure what bothers me more about this article from the AP, (Hat Tip to Arts and Letters Daily) the obvious self centeredness of the college students it portrays or the condescending attitude of the professors studying them. The profs come off a bit like gray haired academics with their shoes tied too tight sniffing down their noses at the fun chidlren have.

That said, I cannot help but agree with the observations that heap unending praise and acceptance on kids warp their sense of perspective about self. A good "you are not the center of the universe" and "you really screwed that up" every now and again is a very helpful tool.

The folks doing the study, though, hardly seem up to the task:

Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so pronounced that he was unsure if there were obvious remedies.

“Permissiveness seems to be a component,” he said. “A potential antidote would be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence might be called for.”