Study: Many Teens Overconfident, Have 'Wildly' Unrealistic Expectations

Teens today are overconfident and harbor more unrealistic expectations than teens in the 1970s, a study published in the November issue of Psychological Science finds.

And researchers say the culprits behind the arrogance that many teens possess are their parents and teachers.

The study's co-author told HealthDay news that the findings point to a "self-esteem" movement that may have gone too far.

"These kids didn't raise themselves, they got these ideas from somewhere," said Jean Twenge, an associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University.

Because modern day parents hand out endless praise, kids readily believe they are somehow superior, she said.

Furthermore, research shows that high school teachers now give out "A" grades more easily than they in the 1970s, even though students do less homework today than they did 30 years ago.

For the study, which is not yet published online, researchers looked at 30 years of data from the Monitoring the Future study, in which students offer self-views on questions such as how smart they are and what type of spouses they'll make in the future.

They found that teens today were more likely to describe themselves as "A" students, even if they're not, and to believe they'll make exemplary spouses and employees.

The overconfidence is causing teens to set "wildly" unrealistic goals for themselves, Twenge said.

Click here to read more on this story from HealthDay News.