Careers
For Affirmation Generation, Layoffs Hurt All the More
Posted Mar 6, 2009 7:31 AM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Today’s associates were part of a generation raised with lots of affirmation and rewards, making job losses all the more difficult, according to a psychologist who has studied lawyer personalities.
Psychologist and Hildebrandt consultant Larry Richard told the National Law Journal that most of those laid off will focus on what they might have done differently and remain isolated from others, damaging their self-confidence and self-esteem.
The uncertainty of unemployment is a “corrosive acid” creating a sense of danger and kicking in a fight-or-flight mechanism, Richard told the NLJ. That prompts job seekers to make rash decisions and think in all-or-nothing terms, believing, perhaps, that they will never find work again. He advises laid-off lawyers to reach out to others in the same situation. “There’s safety in numbers,” he said.
Richard also cautioned that some of those who still have jobs are in survival mode and may be acting out. They may end up nitpicking on details, hoarding work, displaying inattentiveness, or acting in a cantankerous way, he told the legal newspaper.
The NLJ article profiles three lawyers who are experiencing some of the emotions described by Richard. One of them is Megan Logsdon, a first-year associate at the dissolved law firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood with about $120,000 in student debt.
Logsdon said that she is still surprised that as a Georgetown law graduate with good grades and the ability to speak Spanish, she can’t find a job. She has sent out dozens of resumés, applying for one position in the small town of Bethel, Alaska. “I would work anywhere,” she said.
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Comments
NR
Mar 6, 2009 8:26 AM CST
Today’s associates were obviously not smacked enough as children. That is what’s wrong with kids today. A good whack on the backside would do wonders for comportment and attitude.
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JP
Mar 6, 2009 8:30 AM CST
It clearly worked for you.
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Joseph
Mar 6, 2009 11:17 AM CST
NR must be a baby boomer. Only someone in that generation can make such a hypocritical statement. Baby boomers and Gen X/Y all grew up with lots of parental involvement and affirmation. The only difference is that Gen X/Y people had to work a lot harder to succeed.
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B. McLeod
Mar 6, 2009 1:32 PM CST
Two of the greatest misfortunes that can befall any person are: 1) never getting anything they want; and, 2) always getting everything they want. The true ballbuster is when you have to transition from the latter to the former.
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Tim
Mar 6, 2009 4:07 PM CST
Hey, old(er) people - remember when you were in your mid-twenties and everyone in their 40’s and 50’s called you whiny or a hippy or a slacker because of your “generation”?
Yeah, stop. Some of us are just fine.
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B. McLeod
Mar 7, 2009 1:59 PM CST
Hmmm. “Twenties”? Aye. “Mid-twenties”? Aye. “Remember”? Huh. I must’ve had a pretty good time.
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Gen X-er
Mar 7, 2009 6:03 PM CST
As a Gen X-er, I can also agree that a little spanking never hurt anyone.
The only reason that these people are having an extra hard time with lay-offs is not because they were affirmed and rewarded as children, but because to them, everything is still all about “me, me, me.”
Guess what, you got laid off. It’s happening to a lot of people lately. Don’t whine about it, get off your butt and do something about it!
Thankfully I have a spouse who is not a whiner.
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RW
Mar 9, 2009 7:32 AM CST
I think the comments with the most bravado are made by those WHO STILL HAVE JOBS. I’ve been looking since November, and it’s hard. One job I applied for received over 150 applications. But, as someone who WAS spanked as a child, I shall forge on…..
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Nash
Mar 9, 2009 4:06 PM CST
Getting laid off during a recession has easily been the most frightening experience of my life. But I agree with Gen X-er, the way to handle it is KEEP LOOKING. Yes- the days of jobs finding you are gone for now, so you may have to search high and low for a job for a long, long time. Chances are- you won’t be homeless, so be grateful for that. If you think it’s hard for find a job with a JD, imagine what it’s like for someone with only a GED.
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Lucky
Mar 13, 2009 11:48 AM CST
#9, you are right. We are lucky to be attorneys. If you look at the unemployment rate as differentiated by educational attainment, we are doing a lot better than those with less education.
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