Hi I had the opposite impression from Beth. I thought Warner was on solider ground in the first part when she was citing well-respected and knowledgeable psychologists. I thought the last part (apparently based on her interviews with 9 people) reeked of the purportedly positive effects of enhanced "self-esteem," which I believe has been largely discredited or at least much criticized by people like Baumeister. I guess I would like to see firmer evidence for the greater resilience, as opposed to dependence.
Take care Jim James M. Clark Professor of Psychology 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax [email protected] >>> Beth Benoit <[email protected]> 08-Jun-10 8:01:11 AM >>> I think the 90% believing they have perfect resumes is mildly amusing, but I don't think that the "57% who think they will have a job in hand in three months after graduation" demonstrates that they are "supremely confident in themselves." That figure says that only a little over half are confident they will get jobs. - at all. I don't see any more overconfidence or inflated self-esteem than I saw when I first started teaching at the college level in 1993. And I haven't had a helicopter parent for a couple of years. I think the concluding paragraphs of Judith Warner's article hit closer to home than the earlier comments. She concludes that perhaps these students are more resilient, possibly as a result of the anxiety produced by current events, or perhaps they're just more accustomed to the stress of uncertainty. Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire On Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 6:56 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > One of my colleagues in the department posted the following article from > the NY Times. I thought it might interest some of you given that the topic > has come a number of times on TIPS. > > > > Miguel > > > > ----------- > > > > "The Why-Worry Generation", > http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/magazine/30fob-wwln-t.html > > > > From the article: > > > > "Not only do they believe these perfect jobs exist, but today*s recent > graduates also think they*re good enough to get them. *They see themselves > as really well prepared and supremely good candidates for the job market,* > says Edwin Koc, director of research for the National Association of > Colleges and Employers. *Over 90 percent think they have a perfect résumé. > The percentage who think they will have a job in hand three months after > graduation is now 57 percent. They*re still supremely confident in > themselves.* > > > > Toward the end of the article, the author writes: > > > > "Maybe chronic unease has simply raised this generation*s tolerance level > for stress, leaving it uniquely well equipped to deal with uncertainty. Or > maybe having a bulked-up ego really does serve as a buffer to adversity. > Just like the self-esteem gurus always said that it would. > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aaf72&n=T&l=tips&o=2966 > > (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) > > or send a blank email to > leave-2966-13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aa...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a891720c9&n=T&l=tips&o=2967 or send a blank email to leave-2967-13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a89172...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=2970 or send a blank email to leave-2970-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
