Gen Z

 

Needless to say, there are many problems going on in our Republic.  An article titled "Courtship in an Age of Narcissism" in the March 8 2026 edition of The New York Times depicted another significant concern.  This article stated that Gen Z-ers aren't dating because they're too self obsessed.  My response follows.

According to the article, many male heterosexuals are unable to connect with a romantic or sexual partner. Instead, they offer contradictions and rationalizations like blame  and objectify and denigrate females. They also rationalize that their looks have prevented them from entering into romantic and sexual relationships. Some are narcissistically obsessed with improving their physical appearance; talk about aesthetics as destiny and attractiveness  as a measure of human worth.

With their contradictions, limited reasoning ability,  the use of defense mechanisms,and other self-deceptions ,these teenagers  instead are choosing  AI ,Chatbot and other devices as pseudo-friends with the illusion and mythology.  Their choices are only “security blankets” which do not dismiss their anxiety, depression, boredom, loneliness, insecurities and other figments of their imagination that take place between their ears.

One moneymaking wealthy streamer known as Clavicular claimed that he injected steroids at age 14, to improve his physique ,dabbled in crystal meth and  hit himself in the face with a hammer to heighten cheekbones to create a sharper jawline. He added that dating was a burden in today's hyper- glamorous environment. And, that thinking he could have sex with a woman was perhaps better than the deed itself-it's a big timesaver.

 Gen Z-ers  were born between the years of 1992 and 2012  and have experienced an economic meltdown;Covid-19 pandemic-social isolation; and the technological smart phone revolution.  Online dating and advice  influencers like Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube and streaming sites  have  dispensed warnings about having too many sexual partners, dangers of being excessively attentive , being submissive with uninterested love objects, and so forth . In other words, there's lots of online nonsense, hate,scapegoating and claiming  that  women are the evil ones.

Multiple studies find that  these young people are not dating, having sex or forming meaningful partnerships. It was reported that 30% of its respondents were actively dating and about half of them indicated that they were interested in finding a relationship . They cited a lack of confidence. Less than 40% believed themselves to be attractive and were not comfortable discussing their feelings with another. And only  1/4 % felt confident in approaching a potential partner or  staying positive after a dating  rejection .

The mutuality of  meaningful interpersonal relationships is based on many factors and it is no wonder that there's a declining birthrate in our country.  The Gen Z population is aware of many social, economic, and political problems such as the wealth gap, excessive and outrageous college costs, inflationary trends, online hate,AI, and the cost to rear children.  Also according to AI, approximately 40 to 50% of first  marriages end in divorce; second marriages 60 to 70% ;the average duration before divorce is about eight years; and the divorce rate is highest among individuals aged 20 to 24.  

A few Gen Z statistics follow: 1.  42% of eligible voters voted in the 2024 presidential election 2.  In the 10 to 24 age group, suicide was the second leading cause of death.  3.  54% are living at home with their parents.  4.  56% in the 18 to 25 age group are obese or overweight and 42% in the age group 18 to 24  5.  21% of 18 to 29-year-olds own a firearm.  6.  Average IQ is 101 7.  There is a 10 point decline in reading scores and a 15 point decline in math scores in 2022 8.  Luigi Mangione, Tyler Robinson and Cole Thomas Allen attained notoriety 9.  Teens as a result of  social media sites are  taking over , congregating  and forming  acting out mobs.  10.60% favor Hamas vs. Israel .11, Favor violence for political change.

According to Erik H.  Erikson's psychosocial model, humans proceed through eight psychosocial stages .The following stages apply : Stage 1 Sense of Trust versus Sense of  Mistrust; Stage 5  Identity versus Role Confusion and Stage 6 Intimacy versus Isolation 

The psychological  task in the first stage is to develop social trust which is related to  feeding , sleep, relaxation of  bowels and dealing with the discomfort that follows resulting from parenting. Does the  mother become associated with an inner certainty , predictability, consistency, continuity and sameness during this most critical  period  ?  If so, the infant has much going for him  emotionally and cognitively in tackling the next seven stages  With positive involvement, caring, love and experience and in developing a sense of trust with mother can and does generalize to others.  In other words, an  infant  boy's  emotional relationship with his mother has tremendous implications for future associations and relationships with females.

With the high divorce rate, many of these Gen Z ers are likely to have a single-parent as caregiver. Significant  research with the young has found that sleep difficulties are related to sexual and aggressive difficulties, emotional frustration from earlier unresolved issues along  with bedwetting and anxiety about masturbation. 

 Freud considered enuresis to be a form of "pollution" or masturbatory equivalent.  And ,it has been found that children use this symptom as an aggressive or passive aggressive way in dealing with their parents.Also, night time fears are associated with the identification with the opposite sex parent with fantasies of genital damage . As a consequence, punishment is belted out to the parents  as a result from this power struggle of wills between mother and child.

Defense mechanisms associated with these early childhood issues and conflicts  come into play. For example,Displacement is the mental activity in which the child symbolically exchanges one part for another, or one person for another There is a repressed desire for  bodily sensations, especially one's  masturbation impulses  .Also, in early development ,the feelings of hatred toward  parents are directed especially toward the mother . 

 Another defense mechanism Turning Against Self is when sex is prohibited toward females . This behavior is when the aggressive drive is turned inward , as in masturbation,which means sex is not turned outward.  Undoing is a defense mechanism in which the magic of  abstinence and  virginity annuls the forbidden act.

The defense mechanism of Identification is when the child unconsciously becomes the same as his parents or others as internalization takes place with  similar behavioral aspects .  In a single and two -parent household. The child or adolescent can  attack and even move away from  caring and intimacy with  others just like mother’s behavior .  

Therefore , lack of caring,intimacy or sexual engagement with females are just some of the psychological issues related to single-parent families in which the negative attitudes , values and behavior are openly expressed and transmitted to the children. The mother might constantly badmouth , scapegoat, blame and interfere with visitation and remove pictures of the other verbally, symbolically and behaviorally.  These negative and aggressive attacks toward the other parent  do irreparable harm and affect interpersonal relationships both in the short and long term .

To be continued