... manila bulletin: it’s all about me, me, me! ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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IT''S ALL ABOUT ME, ME, ME!

(article excerpts)

by Jaser A. Marasigan

August 11, 2009, 8:17pm

.Young people today are being portrayed as self-centered zombies who care more about their iPods. Expected to be highly tech-savvies, they text, e-mail, IM, play online games, surf the net, go on Facebook or Friendster, call on the latest mobile phones, and watch TV, all done simultaneously more often than not.

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ALL ABOUT ME

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According to Jean Twenge, the author of “Generation Me” and “The Narcissism Epidemic” (with W. Keith Campbell), today’s young people think they are so special, where in fact, they are not. Although they have become more confident and assertive, they have also turned themselves into a narcissistic and self-centered generation.

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SELF-EXPRESSION

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Filipino psychologist Dr. Randy Dellosa, on the other hand, considers this behavior as more of self-expression rather than narcissism.

.“When we say narcissistic, it’s more of self-absorption, more of one’s self becoming the center more than anyone else. I would call it more of trying to define one’s self,” he explains.

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Dellosa traces this back to the 1960’s when people would be getting out of convention and defining themselves apart from the convention.

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“I guess what’s different now is that this generation is presented with new opportunities, resources, and avenues for self-expression and self-definition.” He agrees that technology is a factor and is considered as one, if not, the most popular resources for self-expression.
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“There’s the Internet and cellphones. There are websites that promote these opportunities like blog sites and YouTube,” Dr. Dellosa adds.

.He also thinks that this trend is more evident today because Filipinos have been repressed for so long. There were expectations to conform and not to speak up. “Historically, nandun na rin yung martial law, which was very repressive and pushed for conformity. After the 1980’s, nung nawala na si Marcos doon nag-boom yung opportunities for self-expression,” he relates.

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They communicate differently from the rest of us – walking around and crossing the streets with ears plugged, texting, tweeting. Camwhores is how they self-effacingly call themselves. With the latest mobile phones, they love taking pictures of themselves, either happily alone or with friends. They often hang out with friends at a coffee shop, talking about the fun weekend they had, their future aspirations, loves and relationships.