Monday, March 28, 2011

Narcissism and the Modern Student

I willingly (key word, here) read research studies related to educational psychology and educational topics in general. Several recent studies related to our current student body's most prevelant age group--those born between 1982 and 2003--have caught my attention.

Known as the "millennials",or "generation me", people; they are the product of a deliberate effort to build-up peoples' self-esteem. "Little Johnny can be anything he sets his mind to" and "Little Sally can be the first female quarterback in the NFL if she works hard!" EVERYONE recieves a participation medal just for showing up with a pulse!! The fact is, this is dillusional thinking.

I know I've ranted about this before, but it is really important that EMS educators understand how to deal with millennials.

I remember when I took the DOT instructor course. My instructor, Dr. Dennis Izzro, PhD., North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND; made it clear that the people we were teaching were on the tail end of the baby-boomer generation. This group had the need to be heard and understood. They were willing to put forth effort to understand but they wanted things compared to their world, not the instructors. Baby boomers were more reserved and often shy when it came to doing EMT skills in front of the class. They resented the unknown. They read the syllabus from front to back and they were quick to point out the times when you deviated from the schedule. They paid for the class with their own money and sometimes they were reimbursed by their employers or volunteer ambualnce service. They chose to take the EMT class not for financial gain, but for the knowledge and respect it earned them. They wanted to give back to their communities like their parents had done during World War II. Indeed, they were committed to helping others.

The millennials are committed to helping others as well.....as long as they get their needs taken care of first. The millennials want it fast, abbreviated, and they wand minimal disruption in their lives as they learn about EMS. They are not scared or reserved. They share every part of their lives on the internet via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. It is as if they are constantly searching for their 15 minutes of fame. They have no problems, usually, performing in front of the whole class with their thong-underwear showing or their exotic piercings unapologetically dangling in front of everyone's face. They want to be EMTs and paramedics, but they don't want to "pay any dues" by working for free as a volunteer.

The level of narcissism should concern everyone. A narcissist lacks the ability to be emotionally invested in others. They lack compassion or even the capacity to care in extreme cases. They see people as tools to to get them what they need, not as equals. They want everyone to know that they are important. The world revovles around the narcissist.

Does this sound like any of your students?

To be sure, not all millennials are self-centered. To cover them all with this broad brush is unfair and unproductive. The key is to recognize the behaviors of a narcissist regardless of their generational alignment. Millennials don't have a claim to all the narcissists on the planet.

When you have a narcissist in your classroom, be prepared to explain to him or her why they are failing their paramedic class. Millinneals have been told from the day they were born that, as long as they try their hardest, they will be given what they want. What happens when Little Johnny isn't very intelligent, or more importantly, motivated?

Recently, the parents of a student who was failing his EMT class visited our training center to find out why he was underperforming. To their surprise, they found that he hadn't been taking his quizes. They proclaimed multiple times that their son was a "straight-A student in high school." They felt that is must be the instructor's fault...somehow....right?

I leave you with this rhetorical question to ponder: When did it become a bad thing to find out you aren't great at everything you do?

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