VISTAS Online is an innovative publication produced for ACA by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 900 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to 2017.
2017
Back to Nature: The Relationship Between Nature Relatedness on Empathy and Narcissism in the Millennial Generation
Anne L. Metz
2017
Researchers suggest that the current generation of college students, who fall within the broader generational group known as “Millennials,” demonstrate lower levels of empathy, higher levels of narcissism, increased use of technology, and decreased time spent outdoors, which may impact the overall functioning of these individuals. This correlational design study of 140 undergraduates explores the relationship between the constructs of empathy, narcissism, and nature relatedness among the Millennial generation. Data analysis suggests that there is a statistically significant relationship between nature relatedness and empathy, which offers an empirical rationale for the use of community-based and natureoriented approaches among clinical mental health counselors who work with Millennials.
Keywords: Millennials, narcissism, empathy, nature relatedness, young adults