Self harm, narcissists and doormats

widespread anxiety among a generation of young girls is brought on by exams, celebrity culture and the pressure to grow up too quickly.

It may also have something to do with EMO music, with some youngsters self-harming just to fit in, says the piece.

Elsewhere on the net.... are you a doormat? Conditioned to please others before thinking of yourself? There's a piece in the Psychology Today, explaining that it's rooted in parents making love conditional on you doing as you were told.

But despite the fleeting high of adulation, relentless praise-seeking exacts a heavy toll, warns Hap LeCrone, a psychologist in Waco, Texas. People-pleasers expend so much energy meeting others' needs that they lose sight of what they want from life. They're often seized by the disorienting feeling that they're not in control of their own lives, which leads them to lash out.

It seems that a growing number of young people are the very opposite of doormats however. A US meta-study found levels of narcissism in have risen year-on-year since the 70s, with two-thirds of current students testing above the narcissistic average for 1979-85.

The BPS blog comments:

Narcissism has its benefits in terms of self belief and confidence, the researchers said, but also comes with costs, tending to be associated with risky decision-making, aggression and addiction.

Obviously the study only applies to the US and undergraduates and may be just a reflection of the population as a whole. Also I'm not quite sure how well it sits with studies with suggest widespread self harm amongst youngsters.

Finally, Psych Central has gathered its top 10 psychology videos. Well, there's nothing else on telly I guess...