Annotated Bibliography

The question my paper will investigate is: Can modern social trends, or norms, create a self-centered, restrictive blueprint for human interactions?

Baumeister, Roy. "The Lowdown on High Self-Esteem Thinking you're hot stuff isn't the promised cure-all." Los Angeles Times5 Jan. 2005, <articles.latimes.com/2005/jan/25/opinion/oe-baumeister25>. Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.

This article was referenced in Twenge’s essay. In this article, Baumeister recognizes the fact that many psychiatrists once believed that low self-esteem caused problems in society, but he also explains the negative consequences of having high self-esteem. I can use this source as evidence of the negative human interactions that emerge as a result of a conceded attitude.  

Ho, Karen. “Biographies of Hegemony”. The New Humanities Reader. Fifth ed., pp. 165-91.

In this essay, she explains the pressures of social trends to seek success within the banking and finance industry through obtaining elite definitions. These definitions can encourage narcissism through focus on self-improvement rather than a concentration on helping others. I will use this source as an example of the magnitude which society can influence one’s choices in life.

Twenge, Jean. “An Army of One: Me”. The New Humanities Reader. Fifth ed., pp. 486-511.

This essay describes how an upbringing of self-encouragement can create a narcissistic attitude and can negatively impact social interactions. I will use this essay to support how society influences people to become more self-centered, and will also use it to describe some of the results of a conceded attitude.

Reilly, Katherine. "Courage to Buck a System That Has Served Us So Well." The Daily Princtonian 24 Apr. 2003, <dailyprincetonian.com/opinion/2003/04/courage-to-buck-a-system-that-has-served-us-so-well/>. Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.

This article discusses the modern economic environment that students face, and how this generation is different than past generations. I will use this source as evidence that there are social trends that play a major component in the choices students make.

Wu, Tim. “Father and Son”. The New Humanities Reader. Fifth ed., pp. 533-59.

This essay summarizes the internal battles of the technology industry, especially the problem Apple and other industries have by trying to maintain their monopoly of products. It is a good case of how trying to be at the top can create restrictions among human interactions. I will use Apple as an example of how restrictions among social interactions can emerge from being self-focused.