An Army of One: Me Essay -- Analysis, Jean Twenge

The way the mind works is through a set of processes, which are steps that must be taken in order for the function it is producing to be accomplished successfully. These processes are related to those that society must be willing to take in order to achieve a desired goal, otherwise known as the ‘struggle’. Younger generations, called Generation Me, develop narcissist views that did not allow for the ‘struggle’ to be considered in their generation. The basis for this mindset is introduced by author Jean Twenge in her essay, â€Å"An Army of One: Me†, as she described the gap that occurred between Baby Boomer parents and their GenMe children. This communication was severed because GenMe was taught that their ideas are the best, and therefore not debatable. This translates to differences in opinion and results in individualism. When those individuals do not work together, as demonstrated by Deborah Tannen, author of â€Å"The Roots of Debate in Educati on and The Hope of Dialogue†, they tend to have a weak sense of debate because they stick up for themselves. As a diagnosis to this problem of disconnectedness, Nicholas Carr, author of â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† decides that our society has begun to skip steps in the process of learning and in particular, the ‘struggle’ that produces the desired outcome. The disconnectedness that has developed in society has caused the loss of real learning, and the problem based on the generation gap introduced by Twenge altered the struggle that is necessary to accomplish, which Tannen believes in and where Carr determines real learning can occur. In order for us to fully understand why we cannot achieve real learning one must understand the roots as well as the problem. Twenge talks about the problem ... ...lting in na less beneficial result, for it it only harms not only ourselves but our society as a whole. Twenge, Tannen, and Carr are all explaining and alluding to the fact that we are not being productive and constructive as a society, and that we are not working together as one. There is a great need for a change in the way that our society works, starting with a change in the teaching of children and even adults about the true meaning of self and how society can develop connectedness by working together. Once society can act for themselves and can learn to listen to others, there must then be a change in the way that learning is promoted, and most importantly a society as a whole must be the one to encourage real learning. Social connectedness is a vital component in mediating real learning, and it is one that our society has to work for in order to achieve.