Most of my research focuses on the differences among generations (the academic term is birth cohort). Most of the time, my students and I do this using a variation on meta-analysis, finding journal articles and dissertations that gave people psychological scales over a period of several decades. We also draw on archival data, such as the Monitoring the Future study of high school students. These changes are really about culture and how changes in American culture have affected individuals. I’m also interested in doing projects on how aspects of modern culture (e.g., MySpace) affect personality traits.

To find out more about my books and speaking engagements, please see www.jeantwenge.com.

Many students want to gain research experience. The advantage of meta-analysis and archival work is that you can usually begin right away and get hands-on experience quickly. You will be able to work independently on projects that tell us who we are as a nation and as a generation. Usually the work is library or database searching. You’ll learn about personality psychology, cultural psychology, and a little statistics. If you’re interested in running subjects in the lab, I’m open to doing experiments on the effects of modern American culture on personality traits such as narcissism and self-esteem.

About Me

I first became interested in generational differences when I was an undergraduate working on my BA thesis. My fellow students scored very differently on a personality questionnaire than the 1970s test manual said they should. When I searched to find all of the articles that had used the scale, I found a striking generational change between the 1970s and the 1990s. I’ve done more than 15 of these studies over the years, and in 2006 my book, Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – and More Miserable Than Ever Before, [Amazon.com] was published. It’s a trade (non-academic) book, with lots of pop culture, stories, and fun to accompany the hard data. There’s more on my book website www.generationme.org. My second book, The Narcissism Epidemic www.narcissismepidemic.com, will be published in April 2009.

In my free time, I love to read, swim, and spend time with my husband and daughter.

Collaborators

• W. Keith Campbell
  (co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic)
  
  
• Roy Baumeister
  
  
• Brad Bushman
  
  
• Nathan DeWall
  
  
• Julie Exline
  
  
• Josh Foster
  
  
• Benita Jackson
  
  
• Kathleen Vohs