Entitlement culture

The article “An inflated sense of self overshadows Gen Z’s work ethic” (Opinion, 29 March) cites the study “Her majesty the student: marketised higher education and the narcissistic (dis)satisfactions of the student-consumer”.

As authors of that paper, we would like to make clear that our analysis suggests that dominant contemporary student identities are, in large part, the result of broader consumerist cultural values. And that the way universities are responding – often with unreflective neoliberal agendas – is one explanation for witnessing both these narcissistic characteristics in students and damage to pedagogy.

Richard Scullion, Bournemouth University
Elizabeth Nixon, Nottingham University Business School
Robert Hearn, University of Nottingham

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