Optimism vs Pessimism

Positive Psychology Psychology that measures, understands, and then builds the human strengths and the civic virtues. Mix of humanism and scientific methodology Pillar #1: Positive emotions Pillar #2: Positive character Pillar #3:Positive groups, communities, and cultures

Excessive Optimism How can having too much optimism cause problems for people?

Explanatory Styles The way we explain events in our lives Falls into 3 categories: Permanence Pervasiveness Personal We can have an optimistic or pessimistic perspective for each

Permanence The belief that life events will have a permanent effect on us Optimists believe bad events are temporary and good events are permanent Pessimists believe the opposite is true– bad=permanent, good=temporary

Pervasiveness The belief that life events have a ripple-effect impacts on other areas of life Optimists believe that good experiences will spill over into other areas Bad events are isolated to one circumstance. Pessimists believe bad events impact other areas in life.

Personal The belief that life events are due to some personality trait that is unchangeable Optimists believe that good events are personal while bad events are due to circumstances. Pessimists believe good events are circumstantial and bad events are due to personal faults.

Battling the Pessimist in All of Us…. There are strategies to help us cope with the negativity that sometimes flows through our mind Alternative seeking: come up with alternatives that are more optimistic Evidence seeking: cite evidence that disputes negative thoughts like “I am stupid.” De-catastrophizing: come up with reasons why the situation is not the end of the world