OPTIMISM

BY: WAJIHA GHAZAL

 Optimism Versus Pessimism

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;

an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty
 Optimism is…

 Tendency to look on the more favorable side of

events or conditions
 Tendency to expect the most favorable outcome
 Belief that good will prevail
 Positive thinking
 Pessimism is…

giving up easily in the face of adversity,

having low self-esteem,
lacking strong commitment to attainable goals,
mentally attributing control over circumstances to
external forces.
 Neurobiological Basis of Optimism and Pessimism

Like all other human experiences, these basic mental

attitudes of optimism and pessimism are closely
interlinked with distinct physiological processes.
The two cerebral hemispheres are differentially
involved in mediating the fundamental approach to
life.
Pessimistic views are generally mediated by the
right-hemisphere (RH), whereas optimistic attitudes
are mediated primarily by the left-hemisphere (LH).
 Are you an Optimist?
Optimism is not…
Reckless/Fantasy-
based/Unrealistic /Limited to
certain people.
the optimist focuses his
attention on the glass half full
an optimist selects the
positive/reinforcing cues
from the environment, and
tends to filter and ignore
information that does not
match his brighter outlook.
 Neurobiology of Optimism and Pessimism

A pessimist tends to do the exact opposite.

In general, a pessimist's attention is focused on the
glass half empty; i.e. the pessimist allocates a
disproportionately greater attention to the negative
cues, while tending to forget the positive aspects of a
situation.
Eye-tracking studies showed that optimists gazed at
negative/unpleasant images less than pessimists.
Optimism was found to be associated with a greater
attentional bias toward positive stimuli relative to
negative stimuli
 LH is more attuned to positive stimuli

The LH is associated not only with a temporary

optimistic mental state but also with optimism as a
stable personality characteristic. A positron emission
tomography (PET) study showed that people who
frequently use the cognitive re-appraisal strategy and
try to attend to the positive aspects of a situation
display a higher metabolic activity in the frontal part
of their LH.
RH is biologically designed to handle potential
threats, more than the LH
 Learning Optimism

Why Optimism..???
Inoculates against depression
Improves overall health
Improves recovery from illness
Combines with talent and desire to enable
achievement
It influences people to like you
It generates positive energy, causing good things to
happen
It beats pessimism.
 Why not Pessimism?

More illness
Lowers immune function
“Straight line to depression”
Lowers resilience
Lowers success
Almost no advantages
 Explanatory Styles

• Way we explain events, good or bad (Scheier and

Craver)
– Permanence-the state of being permanent
– Pervasiveness- that it is in every aspect of
everything
– Personalization– believing it’s because of who
we are
– Defining events- you can be defined by them
but only you wish to be
 Explanatory style
 Seligman researched learned helplessness (pessimism) and
learned optimism.

 Findings include a link between our explanatory style and degree

of learned optimism
 Explanatory style is the way we have learned to explain
situations to ourselves.

 EXAMPLES:
 Pessimists will attribute job loss to a permanent cause (I don’t
have the ability to do the job anyway) and give up easily

 Optimists will believe job loss is the result of temporary causes

(the recession) and persist in finding a new job
 Examples

Pessimists tend to form a generalized explanation for

a failure in one area of their lives (I’m not good at
anything)

Optimists tend to form a specific explanation for a

failure in one area of their lives (I am not the best
one for that job)
 ABCDE Method of Learned Optimism

A writing technique developed by Seligman to

address negatively biased thoughts. It involves
arguing with your own overly pessimistic thoughts in
order to not let those thoughts control you.

The parts are related, i.e. our reaction (consequences)

to the adversity are often determined by our beliefs
about why the bad event happened.

Lyubomirsky et .al (2008) conducted research using

ABCDE method. They found the ABCDE method to
be useful as a Coping Strategy.
 ABCDE Journal Writing Method

 Ask client to use the following method for writing about their transition
experience:
 a. Adversity: describe nature of the loss or problem

 b. Belief: identify negative beliefs interpreting the loss or problem

 c. Consequences: record the consequences arising from the adversity

(feelings, actions, inactions)

 d. Dispute: challenge the negative core belief and consider other

possible reasons for the problem

 e. Energization: Consider a more optimistic explanation for the problem

or loss
 Strategies for Developing Positive Thinking Habits

 Practicing gratitude involves expressing thankfulness and

appreciation for life.
 Cultivating optimism involves striving to see the positive
side of circumstances.
 Avoiding overthinking involves avoiding excessively
pondering the meanings, causes, and consequence of your
character, your feelings, and your problems.
 Measuring Learned Optimism

Learned Optimism Test

(adapted from Dr. Martin Seligman's book, "Learned
Optimism")
There are forty-eight (48) questions in this
evaluation test.
 Permanence Score

PmB: Permanance Bad

◦ 0-1 very optimistic
◦ 4 average
◦ 7-8 very pessimistic
PmG: Permanance Good
◦ 7-8 very optimistic
◦ 4-5 average
◦ 0-1 very pessimistic
 Pervasiveness Score

PvB: Pervasiveness Bad

◦ 0-1 very optimistic
◦ 4 average
◦ 7-8 very pessimistic
PvG: Pervasiveness Good
◦ 7-8 very optimistic
◦ 4-5 average
◦ 0-1 very pessimistic
 HOPE

PvB + PmB
0-2 very hopeful
12-16 severely hopeless
 Personalization Score

PsB=Personalization Bad
0-1 very high self esteem
4 average
7-8 very low self esteem
PsG=Personalization Good
7-8 very high self esteem
 4-5 average
 0-1 very low self esteem
 Total Score

G-B
Above 8 very optimistic.
6 – 7 optimistic
3-5 average
0 or below very pessimistic
prone to depression