Psychology Strikes Again!

"Gen Y's ego trip takes a nasty turn" reads a headline in today's Los Angeles Times. The article is about a recent study led by Jean Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University. The results of the study show that narcissism is on the rise in students today. "All the effort to boost children's self-esteem may have backfired and produced a generation of college students who are more narcissistic than their Gen-X predecessors." The jest of the research is as follows:

In the study released today, researchers warn that a rising ego rush could bring personal and social problems for the Millennial Generation, also called Gen-Y. People with an inflated sense of self tend to have less interest in emotionally intimate bonds and can lash out when rejected or insulted.

A rising ego rush? Is there a pill for that? Twenge shares her immediate discomfort with their findings, "That makes me very, very worried. I'm concerned we are heading to a society where people are going to treat each other badly, either on the street or in relationships."

While I appreciate the efforts of such a study and the diligent time and research that I am sure Twenge and her cohorts put into this, I must say that anyone who does not have their head in the sand could have come to these conclusions on their own. My concern is that Twenge is worried "we are heading" towards this type of selfish, prideful, narcissistic society. HELLO!!!

The issue is society's unwillingness to call sin sin. Of course, of greater concern to me is that this narcissism is prevalent in the church today. Worship is all about me, for me, to me. Worship is to make me feel better about myself, not to expose my sinfulness through the proclamation of the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. After all, God wants me to feel good about myself!

We need to return to the purpose for which we were created, which plainly stated is "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" [Spurgeon's Puritan Catechism]. It's not about you; it's about Him!