A recent study that compared 72 studies of American college students conducted from 1979 to 2009 found a steep decline in empathy (feelings of sympathy for others’ misfortunes) among college students today. Sometimes referred to as “Generation Me”, this generation seems to be more self-centered, confident, and individualistic, than those of the past. Click on the link below to read an article describing the study.
http://education-portal.com/articles/Generation_Me_Study_Finds_College_Students_Lack_Empathy.html
For your initial discussion posting: 1) List and describe the possible reasons the article gives for why the decline in empathy may have occurred. 2) Your textbook describes four sources of cultural change. Which of the four do you believe explains the change in empathy? Explain. 3) Have you witnessed a lack of empathy among those students today in their late teens and early twenties? Describe. 4) If a generation is characterized by a tendency toward pre-occupation with oneself and one’s own self-interest, what are some ways (positive and/or negative) this could affect the next generation (their children) and society as a whole?
