4 ms·
It relies on a cliche of the idea of what an adult should be. But the premise that adults were more mature and not showing these traits before is flawed. Many 6
by tarsinge 3y ago
It relies on a cliche of the idea of what an adult should be. But the premise that adults were more mature and not showing these traits before is flawed. Many 60+ years old strongly exhibits all the traits of the described "infantile personality" when their lifestyle and world vision is challenged, be it in their private or professional life. Sure if you judge by the capacity to masquerade and give the appearance of showing the traditional adult image of the older generation by definition the younger one will score worse. But it's a facade, on the inside the majority of older adults are still children.
> characterized by immature feelings (‘childish’ reactions, lack of willpower, lack of confidence), external locus of control (other people are blamed), inflated self-concept, low demands on self (accompanied by high demands on society), and egocentrism.
So you tell me none of your older neighbours will display this and instead be models of "emotional maturity (rationality, self-control, lack of impulsivity, etc.)" when you talk to them about lawn mowing, car usage/size, energy, meat eating, land use regulation, ...?
There is no more infantilism than before, what has changed is the definition of achievement.
- readthenotes1 3y agoThe stories that I heard about families before world war II are fairly different. I think the great shift occurred with the boomers, The surge and wealth, and the tragedies of world war II making spoiling a child seem worthwhile
- _jas 3y agoI'm actually quite curious about what you have heard regarding families before WWII. Many of the stories I've heard are themes of struggle and survival.
- readthenotes1 3y agoYep. With the teenagers pitching in not only for their own spending money, but also their families.
- imbnwa 3y agoPeople forget that the history of the Prohibition movement was already 100 years old when it finally won constitutional prohibition in 1919 (and people literally empowered the Italian and Irish mafias to get around it; so empowered we got a President and an US Attorney General out of it). The Whiskey Rebellion started over a tax that was backed by lots of reformer types who wished to leverage a de facto 'sin tax' to control drinking. People use to drink all the damn time. My grandfather was a silent generation career man for GE, worked there 40 years, fought in WWII by lying about his age and fought in Korea, raised a family, bought a house, the very type one would venerate as a true adult man... and he drank a lot. He didn't stop drinking until I was 8 or 9 and had suffered a heart attack.