Older generations are constantly saying that kids these days are getting more self-centered. Not only has research shown this to be true, but it has also shown links between this rise in narcissism and reality tv. Robert Lull of the University of Pennsylvania and Ted Dickson of the University of Ohio performed an experiment that linked narcissism to certain television genres like reality series, sports, and political talk shows. Dickson states, "Many of the messages to which we're exposed on TV today feature rampant self-interest, disregard of others' well-being, and a focus on the individual - which are all components of narcissism."
This experiment was done by taking 565 undergraduates and having them indicate how often they watched certain genres by using a one to seven scale starting at "never" and going to "very often". They then completed a narcissistic personality inventory in which they'd choose between 40 different pairs of statements like, "I find it easy to manipulate people" versus "I don't like it when I find myself manipulating people" They discovered a correlation between daily tv viewing and narcissism, narrowing it down to reality shows, political talk shows, sporting events, suspense/thriller/horror dramas.
This outcome isn't too surprising. A 2006 study by Mark Young and Drew Pinsky showed that celebrities are more narcissistic than normal people by having celebrities take the same personality inventory. Reality Tv shows just give the celebrities a chance to focus more on themselves than on a character. Being exposed to this on a regular basis, like watching "Keeping up With The Kardashians" weekly, has been shown to rub off self-centeredness on the viewer. Lull described it as a monkey see, monkey do effect. Seeing a person that's so highly regarded in the media behave in an egotistic way makes the onlooker believe that it's okay to act that way too (Jacobs).
This experiment was done by taking 565 undergraduates and having them indicate how often they watched certain genres by using a one to seven scale starting at "never" and going to "very often". They then completed a narcissistic personality inventory in which they'd choose between 40 different pairs of statements like, "I find it easy to manipulate people" versus "I don't like it when I find myself manipulating people" They discovered a correlation between daily tv viewing and narcissism, narrowing it down to reality shows, political talk shows, sporting events, suspense/thriller/horror dramas.
This outcome isn't too surprising. A 2006 study by Mark Young and Drew Pinsky showed that celebrities are more narcissistic than normal people by having celebrities take the same personality inventory. Reality Tv shows just give the celebrities a chance to focus more on themselves than on a character. Being exposed to this on a regular basis, like watching "Keeping up With The Kardashians" weekly, has been shown to rub off self-centeredness on the viewer. Lull described it as a monkey see, monkey do effect. Seeing a person that's so highly regarded in the media behave in an egotistic way makes the onlooker believe that it's okay to act that way too (Jacobs).
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