A sweeping number of talks, research and articles have turned towards explaining the new phenomenon today - millennials. The well-disputed army of millennials are individuals who were born between the 1980s and early 2000s. As of 2017, most millennials would fall between 18-26 years of age, calling themselves, "emerging adults". While touring love, work and other philosophies that surround them, millennials have been able to take on minimal adult responsibilities as compared to earlier generations.
This article aims to highlight a few personality traits that millennials may have.
Why care about millennials?
While parading their personality traits, millennials seem to have marched into representing almost half of today's population of working adults! As they form a fair amount of today's workforce, companies have begun conducting research on how to manage this divergent generation better.
The 5 characteristics listed below could help us understand millennials, and consequently help in understanding the processes of recruiting, retaining and managing the workforce.
1. A sense of entitlement
Millennials have been awarded praise, appreciation, supervision and shelter through most milestones that they have breezed through. As a consequence of this, it is probable that millennials require constant positive feedback and protection through their college and early working days.
Work is viewed from a relatively new lens where flexibility is a priority. Millennials place vacations, leisure, and work-life balance on top priority.
They tend to expect a promotion every 2 years. And, with the abundant, stimulating choices they are shown, millennials have a tendency to switch between companies more often.
2. Individualism
Jean Twenge, the author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement", has conducted research which suggests that there has been a cultural shift in individualism and the importance of focusing on oneself. Through globalization and social media, individualism is now as vibrant in cultures in the East as it was in the West.
In google books, the words "I", "me", and "mine" have been researched to be used a lot more, while the words "we", and "us" are used less. This suggests the possibility that millennials could be less engaged in social roles, civic responsibilities and political activities.
Workwise, their individualistic approach could lead them to be appreciative of egalitarian leadership. Hierarchies, or other forms of establishment could be hard to connect with, for this emerging bunch.
3. Optimism
Millennials tend to endorse a positive view of not just themselves, but the future too. This, along with their traits of individualism, has helped society progress up to a stage where tolerance is a lot more apparent. Equality in race, gender and sexual orientation is accepted as the general norm. In fact, research conducted on internet content has unveiled the fact that data is a lot more "good" than it was a few decades ago. Online humanitarian movements and campaigns have found major enthusiasm among users.
In the words of Joel Stein for Time Magazine, USA, "Millennials are ‘nice'."
4. Ambitious
Emerging from the clutches of helicopter parenting, micromanaging and soaring expectations, millennials have been conditioned to be progress-oriented.
Owing to the fact that millennials could have witnessed overscheduling of their time as children, they tend to put in many more hours of work than individuals from previous generations.
The typical millennial achievement-drive is said to not be satisfied just with material benefits. Self-actualization, the drive to be able to fulfil one's potential as an individual, is a goal that is held closely.
Needless to say, several sections of individuals from the millennial era have made swift progress in their careers. Interestingly, however, their unmet career expectations are still a major cause of concern for them. Often, this has lead the "sunshine generation", as they're also called, to experience a lot more dissatisfaction and pressure.
5. Anxiety
Seemingly, the likelihood of a millennial being victim to anxiety is a lot higher than it was for preceding generations. Pressure, dissatisfaction, and a tendency to live geographically away from family, could contribute to this. Anxiety could be manifested through different behaviours. Checking one's phone persistently is one such behaviour that indicates a ‘fear-of -missing-out' on something more special than what one witnesses. The sustained stimulation of dopamine that is felt through social media could play a part in maintaining this behaviour, too.
While there is ongoing research about millennials and their relationship with anxiety, depression and narcissistic personality disorder, an important facet to consider is the amount of awareness, choice and acceptance that the millennials are blessed with.
Appropriating set characteristics to an entire generation could be dangerous. However, as a result of being born and raised under similar cultural conditions across the globe, it is likely that this group is bound with a few similarities. However similar or different we consider this crowd to be, they have been brought up and taught to adapt to the continually changing social situation.
With the positives, negatives, and general buzz around them, what seems to have been created is the era of the millennial micro-celebrity.
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