Beginning in the late twentieth century, a profound psychological shift materialized across society. Ancient systems of moral upbringing were systematically replaced by frameworks championing extreme relativism and individualism.
By adapting concepts like Social Darwinism and Positivism to the human sciences, the architects of this system argued that traditional values could not be empirically measured and should therefore be dismissed.
CREATING
GENERATION ME
In her sociological work Generation Me, psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge documents the emergence of a highly contradictory psychological profile among cohorts born between the 1970s and 1990s.
Anxiety Surge
Research highlights an 85% increase in baseline anxiety levels between the 1950s and the 1990s¹.
Paradox of Confidence
While outwardly confident, tolerant, and ambitious, this generation simultaneously recorded unprecedented levels of cynicism, profound loneliness, and moral ambiguity.
Avoidance of Responsibility
By abandoning ancient systems of upbringing for unquestioned personal autonomy, society cultivated a demographic that struggles to accept criticism and actively avoids traditional responsibilities.
Erosion of Parental Authority
Over the past several decades, the emphasis on obedience as a core virtue in child-rearing has steadily plummeted.
This downward trend aligns with a broader cultural movement away from traditional authority and toward individual expression. Consequently, modern paradigms increasingly prioritize a child's independence and self-esteem over strict adherence to rules.
THE ORIGINS OF
This cultural trend can be traced directly back to the “Values Clarification” programs initiated in the United States in the mid-1960s. Disguised as progressive character education, this agenda was heavily disseminated through the book Values Clarification: A Handbook of Practical Strategies for Teachers and Students by Sidney B. Simon, Leland W. Howe and Howard Kirschenbaum.
Selling over 600,000 copies and spawning twelve similar publications, the text helped dismantle universally accepted moral standards, teaching classrooms that there are no absolute values.
Under this new educational program, morality was reduced to a matter of personal preference. The prevailing philosophy dictated that any choice was acceptable as long as it was made freely and brought personal happiness.
This ideology effectively erased the necessity of religion, spirituality, tradition, and the inherited wisdom of past generations, leaving youth with a form of "societal Alzheimer's" that is stripped of their historical and cultural grounding.
The Values Clarification program rests on two pillars:
The Educator as the Facilitator
The traditional role of the teacher as moral guides transmitting ancient wisdom was replaced by one of neutral facilitators.
When faced with a moral dilemma, they stopped teaching students right from wrong and simply asked if their choices made them happy. Influenced by Humanistic and Existential Psychology, this approach weaponized "self-actualization" to teach the youth that the ultimate moral authority lay entirely within themselves.
Relativist Morality
The intellectual justification for this overhaul drew upon philosophies that championed extreme relativism and individualism. By adapting concepts like Social Darwinism and Positivism to the human sciences, the architects of this system argued that morality was merely an evolving construct. Because traditional values could not be empirically measured in a laboratory setting, they were summarily dismissed.
Within a remarkably short period, the foundational morals and manners passed down through millennia were virtually eradicated from institutional upbringing.
THE GLOBAL EXPORT OF
INDIVIDUALISM
What began as an American educational experiment was soon exported globally. Dr. Twenge accurately warned that this extreme individualism would spread to developing nations as pervasively as multinational consumer brands.
Driven by the engines of pop culture and the Hollywood film industry between 1970 and 2000, global media consistently reinforced a single message: rebel against social rules, prioritize personal pleasure, and reject the primacy of the family.
Sources:
¹
Twenge, Jean M. (2014). Generation Me. Atria Books,.
²
Twenge, J. & Campbell, W. K. (2010). The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (p. 75). Atria Books.
