Many people associate their self-worth with their work. The more successful their career, the better they feel about themselves. Work-related self-esteem is therefore a worthy ideal to pursue with vigor, right? Well, not always. According to recent research, in which psychologists interviewed 370 full-time workers over a period of three weeks, the reality is a little more complicated. And it involves negative as well as positive consequences.
It’s natural to be drawn towards pleasure and to step away from pain. In the workplace, if that pleasure comes from a triumph which swells our self-respect, people will try to repeat the accomplishment. But repeating that accomplishment is often not realistic, which can lead to severe negative emotional consequences when it doesn’t reoccur. This form of motivation is widely regarded as a negative type of motivation. It can hinder other more positive motivation types, such as completing a task purely because it’s fulfilling or enjoyable.
What consumes the employee instead is a pressing need to feel mighty and sure of themselves. They then take on only tasks and objectives which serve that ego-driven need. As a result, to avoid feelings of shame and worthlessness associated with failure, they extend themselves to such a degree that there’s a subsequent adverse effect on their well-being. This internal pressure to succeed at all costs demands a lot of effort. It depletes their energy, culminating in disproportionate levels of damaging sentiment.
Those negative emotions mount into heightened anxiety, impacting their ability to make the most of their personal life. Their desire to avoid feeling inferior ends up making them feel inferior when it comes to their diminished capacity for friendship and leisure. They end up dissatisfied both at work and outside of it.
But thankfully, for those people compelled almost entirely by this specific form of motivation, the news isn’t all bad, or bad at all. The study also discovered several positive outcomes that can actually outweigh the harmful ones. Though these types of employees are motivated by the desire to avoid negative consequences, they are also motivated by the excitement of pursuing emotional rewards. This excitement makes pursuing goals enjoyable and stimulates pleasure and pride that would result from success. An effect of the positive motivation is that it neutralizes the existence of negative motivation.
Sure, it affects people’s personal lives to what could be deemed an unhealthy extent, because leisure activities are often seen as a part of life that must be sacrificed to manage work and family demands. However, the way people feel about their work has less to do with whether they’re motivated by the preservation of self-esteem but more with the fact that they’re simply motivated.
1.1.What does the author say about the pursuit of work-related self-esteem?
A It may result in negative motivation.
B It contributes to one’s accomplishments.
C It can increase one’s vigor as one keeps trying.
D It costs too much emotionally and psychologically.
解析：选A。A 细节理解题。由题干中的work-related self-esteem 定位到第一、二段。文章首段指出,根据最近的研究,追求与工作相关的自尊会同时产生积极和消极的结果。第二段第二至四句又指出,如果人们因工作成就增强了自尊心而感到快乐，就会试图重复这种成就,但这往往并不现实,因为如果没有再取得这样的成就,就可能会导致严重的负面情绪后果。因此这种形式的动机被广泛认为是一种消极的动机。由此可知,作者认为追求与工作相关的自尊可能导致消极的动机。故选A。
2.2. What do employees tend to do in pursuing work-related self-esteem?
A Take on tasks well beyond their actual capabilities.
B Strive to succeed at the expense of their well-being.
C Resort to all means regardless of the consequences.
D Exaggerate their sense of shame and worthlessness.
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。由题干中的employees定位到第三段。文章第三段第三、四句提到，为了避免与失败相关的羞耻感和无价值感,员工非常拼命,不惜一切代价获得成功,这不利于他们获得幸福。由此可知,员工在追求与工作相关的自尊时往往是以牺牲幸福为代价的。故选B。
3.3. What do we learn about people over-concerned with work-related self-esteem?
A They may often feel inferior to their colleagues.
B They cannot enjoy their personal life to the full.
C They are never satisfied with their achievements.
D They have their own view of friendship and leisure.
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。由题干中的over-concerned 和 work-related self-esteem定位到第四段。文章第四段第一句指出，这些负面情绪上升为高度焦虑,影响了他们尽情享受个人生活的能力。由此可知,这些员工过度关注与工作相关的自尊,以至于无法充分享受个人生活。故选B。
4.4. What is the good news we learn from the recent research?
A The pursuit of goals may turn out to be enjoyable and pleasant.
B The emotional rewards from goal pursuit are worth the pains taken.
C The negative consequences of goal pursuit can mostly be avoided.
D The goal of swelling self-esteem can be achieved if one keeps trying.
解析：选A。A 细节理解题。由题干中的good news 和recent research定位到第五段。第五段第二至四句提到,该研究还发现了几个积极的结果,那就是:尽管这种类型的员工的动机是避免消极后果,但他们也会被追求情感回报的兴奋感所激励。这种兴奋感使追求目标变得愉快,并激发了成功带来的快乐和自豪感。由此可知,研究新发现的好消息就是:追求目标也可能是一种享受和快乐。故选A。
5.5.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A Workers have to make sacrifices to preserve self-esteem.
B Self-esteem swells when workers are strongly motivated.
C Pursuit of goals affects people’s personal lives to an unhealthy extent.
D People feel positive about their work as long as they are motivated.
解析：选D。D 推理判断题。由题干中的last paragraph定位到最后一段。最后一段最后一句指出,人们对工作的感觉与他们是否受到维护自尊的激励关系不大,而更多与他们仅仅受到激励这一事实有关。说明人们是否能积极面对工作主要和他们受到激励有关,而具体这种激励是从何而来并不是很重要,由此可以推断,只要有激励,有动力,人们就会积极面对工作。故选D。
