Optimism vs Pessimism Positive Psychology Psychology that measures

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