Big heads

The self-esteem movement bears fruit:

All the effort to boost children's self-esteem may have backfired and produced a generation of college students who are more narcissistic than their Gen-X predecessors, according to a study led by a San Diego State University psychologist.

The Internet, with all its MySpace.com and YouTube braggadocio, is letting that self-regard blossom even more, said the analysis titled ``Egos Inflating Over Time.''

In the study released today, researchers warn that a rising ego rush could bring personal and social problems for the Millennial Generation, also called Gen Y. People with an inflated sense of self tend to have less interest in emotionally intimate bonds and can lash out when rejected or insulted.

If you keep telling kids over and over they're special, for no particular reason, they'll grow up thinking they're special, for no particular reason. If your main goal is not to hurt their feelings, they'll grow up believing their feelings are more important than anything. Lost is any sense of self-worth legitimately based on effort and accomplishment.