How Unemployment Affects Twentysomethings’ Self-Worth

来源: https://hbr.org/2016/12/how-unemployment-affectstwentysomethings-self-worth

导读：David Brooks在2015年达特茅斯大学毕业典礼上给我们灌了一碗毒鸡汤，他告诉我们毕业后我们三分之一的人会搬回家和父母住在一起，有三分之的人会underemployed或者unemployed，而且告诉我们人生越来越糟糕，我们会一路奔向谷底，直到47岁才到头，然后反弹，当然我们最担心的就是触底了却没有反弹。。。。。今天要讲的从文章的题目就能够一目了然，就业问题，这一问题一直盘踞着社会民生的头条，而今年，90后的就业大军创造出了一个新词，慢就业。“慢就业”，即部分毕业生不急于求职和求学，而是让自己暂时处于待定状态。关于这一问题想必大家也都有所了解，大家可以好好看看到底失业是如何影响年轻人的自我价值的。

Does unemployment threaten young adults’ developing confidence?  Should parents come to their aid by providing financial help or inviting them to live at home for a while?

These questions are important, since rates of unemployment for young people (ages 16-24) in the United States are typically double those for the entire labor force (in both good and bad economic times), and since returning home after unemployment or other difficulties is also becoming quite prevalent.  Both unemployment and the “failure to launch” jeopardize the transition to adulthood, as many young people, facing limited job prospects, delay finishing school, postpone establishing their own households and starting families, and remain financially dependent.

prevalent [ˈprɛvələnt]
adj. 流行的，盛行的; 普遍存在的，普遍发生的;
[例句]This condition is more prevalent in women than in men.
jeopardize [ˈdʒepərdaɪz]
vt. 危及，损害; 使陷入险境或受伤; 使…遇险;
[例句]The talks may still be jeopardized by disputes.
会谈仍有可能因存在争端而破裂。
这种病症在女性当中比在男性当中更为普遍。
transition [trænˈzɪʃən, -ˈsɪʃ-]
n. 过渡，转变，变迁; [语] 转换; [乐] 变调;
[例句]The transition to a multi-party democracy is proving to be difficult.
事实证明，向多党民主制的转型非常艰难。
postpone [poʊˈspoʊn]
vt. 使延期，延缓; 把…放在次要地位; 把…放在后面;
vi. 延缓; 延缓发作;
[例句]He decided to postpone the expedition until the following day
他决定把探险推迟到第二天。
financially [faɪˈnænʃəlɪ]
adv. 财政上，金融上，经济上;
[例句]Life for the successful doctor can be emotionally and financially rewarding.
对于事业有成的医生来说，生活在精神和物质两方面都能令人满足。
长难句：
Both unemployment and the “failure to launch” jeopardize the transition to adulthood, as many young people, facing limited job prospects, delay finishing school, postpone establishing their own households and starting families, and remain financially dependent.
这个句子是一个复合句，SVO, as SVO.
首先我们来看主句的结构：
主语是复合主语，Both unemployment and the “failure to launch” ，failure to launch，本意是发射失败，其实就是一种幽默的表达，委婉指出离家未成功，也就是没有顺利的找到工作了。
谓语动词是 jeopardize
宾语：the transition to adulthood
紧接着我们来看as引导的从句，
从句的主语是many young people
主语之后的插入语是facing limited job prospects，插入语修饰主语
谓语动词是三个动词的并列结构，分别是delay…, postpone…, and remain…
其实这句话就是说年轻人因为失业影响了向成人世界的转变，推迟毕业推迟结婚建立家庭，还得伸手问家里要钱填饱肚子。

A long history of research confirms that, as might be expected in a highly individualistic society, adults tend to blame themselves when unemployment strikes, increasing the risk of depression and despair. As unemployment continues, individuals may be considered less “employable” and may either remain jobless or enter a lower paying job.

Individualistic [ˌɪndɪˌvɪdʒʊr'lɪstɪk]
adj. 个人主义的;
[例句]Most artists are very individualistic
大多数艺术家都非常强调个人独特性。
depression [dɪˈprɛʃən]
n. 萎靡不振，沮丧; 下陷处，坑; 衰弱; 减缓;
[例句]Mr Thomas was suffering from depression
托马斯先生患有抑郁症。

Young workers may be no different. Even though unstable work histories are common in the early stage of one’s career, economic self-sufficiency and residential independence are widely accepted markers of adulthood that are threatened by unemployment.  Those who do not achieve these and other normative adult markers by their mid-to-late twenties may question whether they are, in fact, adults.

Unstable [ʌnˈstebəl]
adj. 不稳固的; 不坚定的; 易变的; 反复无常的;
[例句]After the fall of Pitt in 1801 there was a decade of unstable government
1801年皮特倒台后，政府经历了10年的动荡。
residential [ˌrɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl]
adj. 住宅的，适于作住宅的; 与居住有关的; 适宜作住宅的;
[例句]Fontbonne is a liberal arts college, located in a residential suburb of St. Louis.
芳邦大学是一所文科大学，位于圣路易斯市郊的居民区。
normative [ˈnɔ:rmətɪv]
adj. 标准的，规范的;
[例句]Methods employed include logical analysis and normative analysis.
研究方法：逻辑分析和规范分析。
长难句：
Even though unstable work histories are common in the early stage of one’s career, economic self-sufficiency and residential independence are widely accepted markers of adulthood that are threatened by unemployment. 
Even though引导的让步状语从句，
从句的主干是：unstable work histories are common
介词短语in the early stage of one’s career作状语。
主句的主语是复合主语：economic self-sufficiency and residential independence经济上的自足和住房独立
are 是谓语动词
widely accepted markers of adulthood这里widely accepted是分词结构修饰makers千万不可错看成are accepted….
that are threatened by unemployment 这里定语从句修饰的是makers。
大意：刚开始找工作的时候，不稳定是常事，但是经济自足和住房独立都被认为是成年的象征，而这些都会受到失业的威胁。

Our research considered whether young adults’ sense of confidence in themselves declines in the face of unemployment. We drew on a unique data archive, the Youth Development Study (YDS), which has monitored the employment status (employed, unemployed, out of the labor force) of a cohort of more than 1,000 youth in St. Paul, Minnesota as they moved from adolescence to adulthood. The members of this cohort were born in 1973-74, entered high school (9th grade) in the Fall of 1987 (when we began to study them), were set for graduation in 1991, and entered the full-time labor force during the relatively prosperous decade of the 90s.

archive [ˈɑ:rkaɪv]
v. 存档;
n. 档案文件; 档案室;
[例句]I decided I would go to the Archive the next day and look up the appropriate issue.
我决定第二天去档案馆查找对应的问题。
cohort [ˈkoʊhɔ:rt]
n. （古罗马军队的） 步兵大队，军队; 一群人; 同伙，共犯; 支持者;
[例句]Drake and his cohorts were not pleased with my appointment.
德雷克那一帮人对我的任命很不满。
adolescence [ˌædlˈɛsəns]
n. 青春期; 青年期;
[例句]Some people become very self-conscious in adolescence.
有些人在青春期会变得异常害羞。
prosperous [ˈprɑ:spərəs]
adj. 富裕的; 繁荣的，兴旺的; 幸福的，运气好的; 良好的;
[例句]The place looks more prosperous than ever.
这地方显得空前繁荣。

We began our observations of unemployment and parental assistance at age 21-22 (1995), when many prerogatives of adulthood begin, and ended our observations a decade later, at age 31-32 (in 2005, before the recent Great Recession began).

parental [pəˈrɛntl:]
adj. 父母的; 亲代的; [生] （杂种） 亲本的; 作为来源[渊源]的;
[例句]Medical treatment was sometimes given to children without parental consent
有时未征得家长同意就对孩子进行了药物治疗。
Prerogative [prɪˈrɒgətɪv]
n. 特权，君权，天赋的特权（能力等）; 特性，特点，显著的优点; [史] 优先投票权; <美史>总督委任组成的法庭;
adj. 有特权的; [罗史] 有优先投票权的;
[例句]It is your prerogative to stop seeing that particular therapist and find another one.
你有权决定不再去看那个治疗师而另找一个。
长难句：
We drew on a unique data archive, the Youth Development Study (YDS), which has monitored the employment status (employed, unemployed, out of the labor force) of a cohort of more than 1,000 youth in St. Paul, Minnesota as they moved from adolescence to adulthood.
这里句子的主干是：We drew on a unique data archive
, the Youth Development Study (YDS), 两个逗号中间的名词是data archive的同位语，which has monitored the employment status (employed, unemployed, out of the labor force) of a cohort of more than 1,000 youth in St. Paul, Minnesota引导的定语从句是Youth Development Study (YDS), 的后置定语，只是这个定语从句自己也非常的长
which从句内部：
Which指代的就是YDS吧，也就是YDS has monitored the employment status，这是从句的句子主干吧，YDS监控1000个青少年的就业情况，哪里的，后面指出了St. Paul, Minnesota圣保罗明尼苏达州。
as they moved from adolescence to adulthood.是which定语从句内部的时间状语从句。表明has monitored的时间是从青年期到成年期。
好句子分析完了，我们按照中文的习惯把他们都拼凑到一起。该研究基于一份独一无二的数据档案：年轻人发展研究（YDS），该档案记录了明尼苏达州，圣保罗超过1000个年轻人从青年期到成年期的就业情况（就业，失业还是非劳动力）。

The survey was administered seven times over the 11-year study period. We recorded the number of months of unemployment for each individual, and whether they received financial or residential assistance from their parents during unemployment.  We also measured their self-efficacy, or the belief that one can accomplish the goals one sets, by looking at how they answered seven questions in the survey that focused on this. For example, respondents had to agree or disagree, more or less strongly, to statements like “I can do just about anything I set my mind to do” and “What happens to me in the future mostly depends on me.”

residential [ˌrɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl]
adj. 住宅的，适于作住宅的; 与居住有关的; 适宜作住宅的;
[例句]Fontbonne is a liberal arts college, located in a residential suburb of St. Louis.
芳邦大学是一所文科大学，位于圣路易斯市郊的居民区。
self-efficacy ['self'efɪkəsɪ]
[词典] 自我效能;
[例句]Objective: To explore the relationships between students in the Teacher Colleges general self-efficacy and setbacks coping styles.
目的：探讨高师生一般自我效能感和挫折应对方式的相互关系。
respondent [rɪˈspɑ:ndənt]
n. 回答者; [法] （特指离婚诉讼的） 被告; [生] 反应，反射;
adj. 应答的; 有反应的; [法] 被告的;
[例句]60 percent of the respondents said they disapproved of the president's performance.
60%的调查对象表示不认可总统的表现。

Analyzing how unemployment, both dimensions of parental help, and self-efficacy changed over time, we were able to assess whether youth suffered declines in self-efficacy during periods of unemployment, or when they were receiving parental help (and whether their sense of efficacy was stronger otherwise). Because the sense of self-confidence may be influenced by many other circumstances during this transitional phase of life, we accounted for background factors (e.g., parental education and income, the structure of the family of origin, gender, and minority status), as well as life events and experiences (including school attendance, educational attainment, family formation, and serious illness).

dimensions [dɪ'menʃnz]
vi. 按规格尺寸切割;
vt. 在…上标尺寸;
n. 规模; 方面; 面积; 特点; （长、宽、厚、高等的） 尺寸; 重要性; 尺寸( dimension的名词复数 ); （长、宽、高的） 量度;
[例句]He considers the dimensions of the problem
他考虑了问题的严重程度。
circumstances ['sɜ:kəmstənsɪz]
n. 境况; 境遇; （尤指） 经济状况; 命运; 环境( circumstance的名词复数 ); 事件; 境遇; 机遇;
[例句]Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, this year's show has been cancelled
遗憾的是，由于一些意外情况，今年的演出被取消了。
长难句：
Analyzing how unemployment, both dimensions of parental help, and self-efficacy changed over time, we were able to assess whether youth suffered declines in self-efficacy during periods of unemployment, or when they were receiving parental help (and whether their sense of efficacy was stronger otherwise).
Analyzing how unemployment, both dimensions of parental help, and self-efficacy changed over time分词结构放在句首。这个分词结构的analyzing分词结构的宾语是how引导的名词性从句，这个从句的主语是三个名词的并列结构，unemployment，both dimensions，and self-efficacy，谓语动词是changed。
主句的主干是；we were able to assess
assess后面接了两个名词性从句用并列连词or连接，作宾语。
一个是whether引导，另外一个是when引导的
通过分析失业，父母帮助的不同纬度，以及自信心随着时间的变化，我们就可以评价年轻人失业期间是不是自信心下降以及到底什么时候他们会得到父母的帮助。

We found that unemployment reduced young adults’ self-efficacy whether or not it was accompanied by parental support. Each month of unemployment decreased the young adult’s self-efficacy below the individual’s average self-confidence over the entire study period. Parents’ financial contributions also had a negative effect on self-efficacy, but their housing support (when a young adult lived with them) did not. These negative effects of unemployment and parental financial support were the same for young men and women.

accompany [əˈkʌmpəni, əˈkʌmpni]
vt. 陪伴，陪同; 附加，补充; 与…共存; 为…伴奏;
vi. 伴奏;
[例句]Ken agreed to accompany me on a trip to Africa
肯答应陪我一起去非洲。

Thus, just like their older counterparts, we suggest that youth tend to think they are at fault when they suffer job loss. Parental financial support also appears to reduce their confidence in being able to achieve their goals.  But why isn’t living with one’s parents similarly detrimental? This is probably because parental financial and housing support arise in response to different circumstances.

counterpart [ˈkaʊntərpɑ:rt]
n. 副本; 配对物; 相对物; 极相似的人或物;
[例句]The Foreign Secretary telephoned his Italian counterpart to protest.
外交部长致电意大利外长表示抗议。
parental [pəˈrɛntl:]
adj. 父母的; 亲代的; [生] （杂种） 亲本的; 作为来源[渊源]的;
[例句]Medical treatment was sometimes given to children without parental consent
有时未征得家长同意就对孩子进行了药物治疗。
detrimental [ˌdɛtrəˈmɛntl]
adj. 有害的; 不利的;
n. 有害的人（或物）; 不受欢迎的求婚者;
[例句]The government's policy of high interest rates is having a detrimental effect on industry.
政府的高利率政策正对工业产生不利影响。
circumstances ['sɜ:kəmstənsɪz]
n. 境况; 境遇; （尤指） 经济状况; 命运; 环境( circumstance的名词复数 ); 事件; 境遇; 机遇;
[例句]Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, this year's show has been cancelled
遗憾的是，由于一些意外情况，今年的演出被取消了。

Previous YDS research found that parents came to the aid of their young adult children who become unemployed by giving them money for living expenses. But parents provided residential support in other circumstances—when youth suffered a variety of negative life events (e.g., a serious illness, a romantic breakup, victimization, etc.) and when they were attending school. Returning to the parental home under these circumstances, often beyond an individual’s control, likely wouldn’t precipitate the same level of self-blame as the loss of a job, for which the person might be perceived as more responsible. Finally, young adults who live at home may pay for at least some of their expenses: some pay “rent,” do some housework, or contribute to the family’s functioning in other ways.  Unemployed youth, in contrast, cannot immediately reciprocate their parents’ financial contributions.

victimization [ˌvɪktɪmaɪ'zeɪʃn]
n. 牺牲，欺骗; 害人;
[例句]The probabilities of crime or victimization are higher with some situations than with others
在有些情况下，犯罪或受害的几率要相对更高。
reciprocate [rɪˈsɪprəˌket]
vt. 回报; 互换，互给;
vi. 回报; 往复运动; 互换; 互给;
[例句]Their attraction to each other as friends is reciprocated
作为朋友，他们相互吸引着对方。

This topic needs further research. These findings are based on a single cohort of young people initially residing in St. Paul, Minnesota, and should be replicated with a nationally representative sample. Importantly, the period of study did not capture the Great Recession, and the effects of unemployment could differ when there are far more unemployed young people.  We also could not study the circumstances of unemployment—for example, whether the youth were unemployed because they quit a job or were terminated by their employer. Future studies should also investigate how a person’s self-efficacy influences work-related behaviors, such as goal-setting, job, and returning to school to augment credentials and skills.

residing
v. 定居; 居住( reside的现在分词 ); 驻扎; 属于;
[例句]Many of her relatives and friends are residing abroad.
她有很多社会关系在海外。
terminal [ˈtɜ:rmɪnl]
adj. 末端的; 末期的; 晚期的; 定期的;
n. 终端; 终点站; 航空站; （电路的） 端子;
[例句]They have started a hospice for terminal patients.
他们为身患绝症的病人开办了一个安养所。
credentials [krəˈdenʃlz]
n. 证书; 凭证，证件;
[例句]I can testify to the credentials of the clientele.
我可以证明委托人的资质。

Yet, despite our study’s limitations and the work that still needs to be done, this research is important.  Youth unemployment and parental financial support may have short-term negative psychological consequences, in that they undermine a sense of efficacy. They may also have long-term detrimental effects on employment.

Psychological [ˌsaɪkəˈlɑ:dʒɪkl]
adj. 心理的; 精神上的，精神（现象）的; 心理学（上）的; 关于心理学的;
[例句]Robyn's loss of memory is a psychological problem, rather than a physical one.
罗宾的失忆是心理问题，而非生理问题。

While sociologists and economists have given some attention to labor market “scarring”—the long-term reduction in wages that occurs when young people enter the workforce during periods of high unemployment — less attention has been directed to workers in their twenties and early thirties, who are old enough to be beyond the school-to-work transition, but young enough to avoid age-based discrimination. If young adults are not gainfully employed, they cannot achieve objective markers of adulthood, and they may lose out on valuable workplace experiences (e.g., skill development, the formation of work-related ties and social capital).

sociologists 社会学家;
[例句]Gross and Levitt find fault primarily with sociologists, philosophers and other academics who have questioned science's objectivity.
格罗斯和莱维特主要对质疑科学客观性的社会学家、哲学家和其他学者进行批评。
scarring
[词典] 伤疤; [医] 瘢痕形成;
[例句]Fallopian tube scarring can cause infertility and ectopic pregnancy.
输卵管瘢痕化会引起不育和异位妊娠。
discrimination [dɪˌskrɪməˈneʃən]
n. 歧视; 辨别，区别; 辨别力，识别力; 不公平的待遇;
[例句]She is exempt from sex discrimination laws.
她免受性别歧视法的追究。
gainfully ['ɡeɪnfəlɪ]
adv. 有利益地，有收入地;
[例句]Clearly there was nothing that could gainfully be said.
显然，说什么都没有用了。
长难句：
While sociologists and economists have given some attention to labor market “scarring”—the long-term reduction in wages that occurs when young people enter the workforce during periods of high unemployment — less attention has been directed to workers in their twenties and early thirties, who are old enough to be beyond the school-to-work transition, but young enough to avoid age-based discrimination. 
句子很长的时候，我们依然要相信我们一字一字读下去也是能够立即理解其含义的，那我们就一点一点来分析一下吧。
While引导从句，
先看从句内部的核心部分主语是sociologists and economists两种人类，一种是社会学家，一种是经济学家。
have given some attention to这两种人类开始关注某种东西了。
这东西是啥呢，就是labor market “scarring” 就业市场的伤疤。
这听着很奇怪啊，什么叫做就业市场的伤疤呢，果然后面给了破折号要进行解释说明了。但是一定要注意，while从句的架构已经很完善了，解释说明的如果当作修饰语删掉，从句已经结束啦。
感兴趣的同学也可以详细看看解释说明的部分：
—the long-term reduction in wages that occurs when young people enter the workforce during periods of high unemployment —
核心就是the long-term reduction in wages长期的收入降低
后面that引导的定于从句是修饰reduction的。
我们再来看while从句所修饰的主句部分：less attention has been directed to workers in their twenties and early thirties。主句说：很少有人关注20多岁到30岁左右的工人。
who are old enough to be beyond the school-to-work transition,这个定语从句就是去修饰前面的workers in their twenties and early thirties。
说这些人呢已经过了完成学校到工作转化的年龄了。but并列连词， young enough to avoid age-based discrimination.和old enough to be beyond the school-to-work transition并列的。虽然过了学校到工作转化的年轻，但是却还没有到面临工作中年龄歧视的时间。
到此句子结束，大概意思是：尽管社会学家和经济学家给就业市场的伤疤给了很大关注，所谓就劳动市场伤疤就是年轻人在失业率比较高时期进入劳动市场面临的长期收入降低，但是很少有人关注那些年龄已经过了学校和工作转化期但是还没有到在工作中会被年龄歧视的二十多岁三十岁的人。

In sum, we think that unemployment has the potential to erode the young adult’s confidence in two ways: first, by delaying or preventing successful adult transitions (e.g., economic self-sufficiency, marriage, parenthood, etc.); and second, by providing the occasion for parental financial assistance that undercuts the youth’s autonomy and independence. Interventions to reduce the risks of youth unemployment and to make it easier to return to work are urgently needed.

erode [ɪˈroʊd]
vt. 侵蚀，腐蚀;
vi. 逐渐毁坏; 削弱，损害;
[例句]By 1980, Miami beach had all but totally eroded
到1980年，迈阿密海滩已经完全风蚀了。
autonomy [ɔ:ˈtɑ:nəmi]
n. 自主权; 自治，自治权; 自治国，社区，或集团等; 人身自由;
[例句]Activists stepped up their demands for local autonomy last month.
上个月激进分子对地方自治的呼声更高了。
urgently [ˈə:dʒəntlɪ]
adv. 紧急地，急迫地;
[例句]I am also looking urgently at how we can strengthen the law
我也在急切地关注我们该如何加强法制。
长难句：
In sum, we think that unemployment has the potential to erode the young adult’s confidence in two ways: first, by delaying or preventing successful adult transitions (e.g., economic self-sufficiency, marriage, parenthood, etc.); and second, by providing the occasion for parental financial assistance that undercuts the youth’s autonomy and independence.
In sum这是一个总结词，总的来说。
we think that：这里that后面接宾语从句，宾语从句的内容就是我们的观点。
unemployment has the potential to erode the young adult’s confidence：宾语从句内部强调的是unemployment失业，has the potential to erode有侵蚀…的潜力或者可能性。这里侵蚀的对象就是confidence。
in two ways这里是表明有两种方式可以侵蚀掉年轻人的自信。
后面冒号就是分别解释这两种方式是什么的。
first, by delaying or preventing successful adult transitions (e.g., economic self-sufficiency, marriage, parenthood, etc.);
第一：推迟或者阻止成功的成年转型（比如，经济上的自足，婚姻，生子等等）
and 是并列连词，把前后两项都并列起来。
second, by providing the occasion for parental financial assistance that undercuts the youth’s autonomy and independence.
第二点：父母提供财政支持的方式其实降低了年轻人的自主能力和独立性。

其实比较好理解了，现在都市年轻人的结婚和生孩子都比较晚，其实很重要的原因就是在事业上有突破的难度比较大，一开始大家要么underemployment要么unemployed，事业不稳定，收入不够的情况下大家觉得没有能力结婚生子。当然有一部分可以啃老的，虽然感觉不愁吃不愁穿，但是总感觉自己做所有的决定都没有底气，对于父母的依赖更是降低了其自立的可能性呢。所以是长痛还是短痛这跟年轻人所处的环境有很大的关系。有的父母见不得自己孩子吃苦，总想帮帮他，结果就把孩子养成了超级巨婴。有的父母感觉比较残忍，吃不起饭打电话父母说那就饿死算了，听着很像是路边捡来的，但是会发现这样的孩子最终也没有被饿死，相反还激发出了战斗力，混的不错。

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