1 . When evaluating people on various psychological tests, psychologists often distinguish between markers of absolute performance and relative performance. Absolute performance reflects the raw measurement of something, like the time it takes to run a mile. Relative performance is how a person rates in relation to their peers, as in what place a runner gets in a race.
The standards we use to evaluate ourselves are almost always relative, as we compare ourselves to our peers and the standards that are most familiar to us. Our conscious recognition of these peers and norms is what sets our expectations, shaping our self-image and happiness. What’s interesting about the relative comparisons that most of us make is that in whatever area of life we consider—for example, our highest level of education—it’s not how we fare in comparison to the rest of the world that seems to matter most, but rather how we compare to our closest peers.
For instance, in my private practice, I have one patient I will call “Omar” who is dependent on social services and makes less than $30,000 per year at his job. While this level of poverty would lead most people to wake up depressed each day, Omar is one of the most optimistic and appreciative individuals I know. Why? Because most of his closest peers—his siblings and friends from childhood—have lives far worse than his.
In contrast to. Omar, I have another patient, an adolescent I’ll call “Lena”, whose family has property over $5 million. Lena, however, lives in an upper-class neighborhood where her family is at the lower end of the income level. Though Lena’s family allows her to enjoy possessions and experiences that less than 1 percent of her peers across the world can share, she consistently feels “less than”. Why? Because Lena doesn’t compare herself to the rest of the world; This is too abstract an exercise for her, as it would be for most of us.
Accordingly, whether a psychologist is psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral, therapy (疗法) with individuals struggling with situation al or psychological depression aims to solve the problems associated with basing one’s self-worth on comparisons with others. Psychologists try to help people focus on personal growth around the achievement of concrete goals in line with their values independent of the achievement of others. For all of us, defining these goals, especially during Periods of emotional calm, can go a long way in helping us to avoid the trap of relativity that often leads to situational and psychological depression.
1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to ________.| A．show the significance of evaluating people. |
| B．motivate readers to study psychological tests. |
| C．help people perform well in psychological tests |
| D．provide some background information on evaluating people. |
| A．To measure different achievement. |
| B．To introduce the standards to evaluate people. |
| C．To explain relative performance with examples. |
| D．To contrast relative performance and absolute performance. |
| A．“Omar” is independent on social services. |
| B．“Omar” ‘s siblings lead better lives than he does. |
| C．“Lena” is always discontented with what she has. |
| D．“Lena” tends to compare herself to the rest of the world. |
| A．Setting goals in life is essential for everyone. |
| B．It’s important to avoid unhealthy comparisons. |
| C．A sense of achievement can affect one’s happiness. |
| D．Improving self-worth can help get rid of depression. |
| A．Happiness: Is it all relative? | B．Happiness: Is it associated with achievement? |
| C．Self-worth: Is it based on efforts? | D．Self-worth: Is it measurable? |
