The Fear of Insignificance|新新焦虑——渺小恐惧症

by Marcus Maurice

By living in a celebrity-worshiping society, important people have started to feel insignificant.

In the past, when kids were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, most answered with jobs like astronauts, police officers, or doctors. Nowadays, children aspire to be singers, athletes, or movie stars _(1)_

This has affected the way adults view themselves. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Carlo Strenger of Tel Aviv University's Department of Psychology has extensively studied the increasing fear of insignificance in adults. _(2)_ He points out that the impact of the global infotainment network on the individual is to blame. We used to measure ourselves by those around us, but since we now live in a global village, we can't help but compare ourselves with the most significant people in the world. _(3)_

In his book, The Fear of Insignificance: Searching for Meaning in the Twenty-First Century, Strenger tells readers that they can't live a fulfilling life _(4)_ This fear of being insignificant can only be overcome through strong individual identity over measurable achievement. People should follow the path of active self-acceptance, which includes a never-ending quest for knowledge and maturation. _(5)_

(A) Once people understand that learning and evolving are more important, they can then realize that it's much easier to live a fulfilling life.

(B) His findings show that adults with respectable professions like lawyers and doctors have increased levels of anxiety and depression.

(C) if they measure their achievements through fantasies of riches or celebrity.

(D) because those are the people they see in the media every day.

(E) In other words, even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media.

新新焦虑——渺小恐惧症

生活在崇尚名流的社会里，成就卓越的人士开始陷入自身渺小的焦虑中。

　　在过去，每当孩子被问到长大后想从事什么工作时，大部分会回答航天员、警察或医生等职业。如今，孩子们却渴望成为歌星、运动员或电影明星，因为那些人是他们每天都会在媒体上看见的身影。

　　这种现象影响成人看待自己的方式。特拉维夫大学心理系的卡罗‧史春格博士在过去 10 年，广泛研究成人心中日益增加的渺小恐惧感。他的研究结果显示，拥有律师和医生等体面职业的成人，他们焦虑和忧郁的程度明显增加。他指出，全球信息娱乐网络对个人的影响难辞其咎。我们以往藉由身旁的人来衡量自我，但由于现在生活在地球村，我们会忍不住拿自己和世界上最举足轻重的人物相比较。换句话说，就连成就卓越的人士也一直害怕自己和媒体呈现的成功故事相比显得微不足道。

　　史春格博士的新书《渺小恐惧症：在 21 世纪寻找自我意义》告诉读者，倘若透过财富或名望的空想来衡量成就，便无法过着令自己满意的生活。这种渺小恐惧症只能藉由超越重要成就的强烈个人认同感加以克服。人们应该遵循积极自我接纳的方式，这当中包含对于知识和心智成熟永不停止的追寻。一旦人们明白学习和成长更为重要时，才会了解过着令自己满意的生活并非如此困难。

答案：  1. (D)2. (B)3. (E)4. (C)5. (A)

史春格博士认为，渺小恐惧症导致了极度脆弱的自尊和不稳定的社会，而人们不应该用那些富豪和名人的文化传奇做为基准来衡量自己的成就，这种比较并不会使自己获得成功。他建议人们应该花费和发展职业同样多的时间来培养世界观，进而了解并建立自我价值。
（数据源：新华网）