Despite society's assumption that the rich face few problems, privileged teens often have their own obstacles to overcome, possibly due to an increasingly narcissistic society—as is evidenced by attention—hungry reality TV stars and self-indulgent Web sites. At the same time, today's families are getting smaller, which leads parents to view their children as "more precious." Others say that the trouble stems from parents who put too much emphasis on grades and performance, as opposed to a child's personal character; these parents mean well, but some researchers believe that this line of thinking puts too much pressure on children.
And while some narcissistic traits can be healthy, too much self-absorption can often lead to interpersonal strife. Research shows that narcissists tend to be defensive, do not forgive easily, and have trouble holding on to friendships.
"Narcissism is correlated with so many negative outcomes," says Dr. Jean M. Twinge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University whose research on the topic appeared in the August issue of The Journal of Personality. "Yet it seems to be something that is now relatively accepted in our culture."
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