Why do people like themselves too much?

There is no consensus on the issue of narcissism--an inflated sense of self-importance and lack of empathy for the plight of others--among the American public. It can also be difficult to reconcile the perception of an increase in narcissism among American youth with the nation's suicide and substance abuse rates, the former being a certain indicator of dissatisfaction with one's lot in life. If the data presented by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which states that over 42,000 Americans commit suicide every year, is accurate, and it probably is, then concerns about inflated senses of self-importance could either be misplaced, or reveal a serious emotional gulf among Americans between those who tend towards narcissism and those who choose death over the status quo.

Potential conflicts between data sets aside, one could easily conclude that people think too highly of themselves, especially the nation's youth, and that the cause of that inflated sense of self-importance is the growing rejection among many Americans, especially on the left-side of the political spectrum, of competition as a means of selecting "winners" and "losers." In other words, the "nobody loses, everybody wins" mentality that tends to dominate athletic and social competitions these days has succeeded in convincing children and teenagers that they are successful just for showing up. Such an approach may boost self-esteem, but carried to extremes, as tends to happen with such phenomena, the ramifications for mental maturation can be profound. Americans today are more socially withdrawn into their own little worlds, with unlimited forms of electronic entertainment available. While social networking would seem to obviate that suggestion, the downside of social networking, such as the pervasive online bullying that occurs among teenagers, may very well be offsetting any attributes associated with online social interactions.

As noted, there is no consensus as to whether Americans think too highly of themselves and, if so, what might be the cause of such a development. Coddling of children and teenagers and the elimination of any sense of social Darwinism might be part of the problem. As Psychology Professor Jean Twenge was quoted as stating:

“There’s a common perception that self-esteem is key to success, but it turns out it isn’t," she [Professor Twenge] said. Nonetheless, “young people are just completely convinced that in order to succeed they have to believe in themselves or go all the way to being narcissistic.” [See: "Seeing Narcissists Everywhere," New York Times, August 5, 2013]

If Professor Twenge is correct, and this "educator" believes that she is, then the answer to the student's question is the culture in which children are being raised today.