There is a book called GenerationMe by Jean Twenge's

has anyone ever read it...?
It speaks a lot obout self-esteem. It's not a self-help book. It's the opposite, it talks about American Society; and about the fact that the self-esteem 'brainwash' that is being feed to people makes them lazy and therefore depressed..

it also talking about changes in socialising .. lots of stuff.. bascially how vain we are and how self-esteem taken over board is bad..

all the 'be yourself' and 'you are special' and 'not everyone get's good grades' or 'love yourself first'

it makes us lazy and is bad in the long run.. cause loving yourself for no reason just sets you up for failure in the real world...

what do you'll think of this concept?

I've heard this before... Dr. Stephen R. Covey discussed this in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People released originally back in 1989. It is an excellent book and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone that has not yet read it... I'll have to check out your book Jales I agree with what you said in your post...
modern self-help equals =self-destruction...

The only motivational/self-help books I have given any credit to to date are Stephen R. Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (I've convinced quite a few people to buy this book and none of them have complained about the purchase yet... some have even praised it as a book they refer to often. This is for all forms of success) and Sun Tzu's: The Art of War (this is geared more toward professional success... or military, as it was originally intended... but it can be adapted to business tactics).

Covey's books definitely an interesting read... I read The Seven Habits back in grade 10, and again in college when I was doing a paper and speech on a similar topic. I also read the follow up book First Things First when in college, but was suffering from other external troubles at the time and never had the chance to really focus on my studies.

Just some background...

Covey argues against what he calls "The Personality Ethic", something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He instead promotes what he labels "The Character Ethic", which is about aligning one’s values with so called "universal and timeless" principles. Covey is adamant about not confusing principles and values; he contends that principles are external natural laws, while values are internal and subjective. Covey proclaims that values govern people’s behaviour, but principles ultimately determine the consequences. Covey presents his teachings in a series of habits, manifesting as a progression from dependence, to independence, to interdependence.

The Habits:

* Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Vision
* Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Leadership
* Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Personal Management
* Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Interpersonal Leadership
* Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Empathetic Communication
* Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Communication
* Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal

He was the first to coin the phrase "win-win". But this principle can be traced back to the 3rd century B.C. to a Chanakya an adviser and a prime minister to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta.

It's been my experience that to find the answers in life, we must examine the lives of those no longer living. Therein lay the answers to all life's questions, because doesn't it make sense that there were intellectuals in the past that ran the course of their life examining these very questions we now seek in our own hearts and minds? Would it make more sense to begin with a fresh slate, and start anew with these very questions, or to pick up where they left off and carry the torch on through another lifetime seeking to elaborate on the very subjects that our predecessors examined as best they could. These works of past intellectuals allow us to examine these subjects from different perspectives while adding our own unique view into the mix. Anyway, I don't want to get off topic... basically I'm saying I don't trust the teachings of many authors that are less than 100 years old, and especially don't trust them if they say to just toss all the past information out the window and start new. That is a fools folly. A path that leads not to enlightenment but idiocracy.

This post was last modified: 12-15-2007 12:08 AM by Lost in the Oilfield.

Haven't read it so i am not really sure.

"...the apparent narcissism of Gen Me to the self-esteem movement of the past 20 years: parents and schools have sacrificed rigor for good feelings. Thus, Gen Me, with its "you can be anything you want to be" mantra, is accustomed to receiving rewards divorced from actual accomplishment, which promotes a sense of entitlement that is a grave disservice in the real world of work. With heightened expectations, young people become anxious and depressed when they discover that life isn't what they were promised."

"Twenge argues that those born after 1970 are more self-centered, more disrespectful of authority and more depressed than ever before."

I have wondered about the possible effects of the changing focus on the child and possibly this might be Twenge's view of what those effects are.

i suppose in a way its come about from anti-elitism and eglitarianism - like you say, theres a lot of emphasis now on building self-esteem. everyone is as good as everyone else, everyone matters, everyone's opinion is equally important. it's well-intentioned but it's not perfect: like you say, feelings seem to be overtaking achievements ("as long as you love yourself that's all that matters")

that looks very confused on the screen but i'm sure i know what i mean!

I blame the epidemic of depression on other more physical factors myself personally. Google "endocrine disruptors" or "excitotoxins" or "hormone mimics"


I could say more, but it's complicated and very scary. Basically those are what they are finding with harmful chemicals and/or pollution. Something you will never see in a commercial. Scientists are all over these topics. Like flies on shit, but the general public doesn't know diddly because big buisness is very good at running down those who try to cause their income hiccups.

This post was last modified: 05-31-2008 12:31 AM by Skorian.