The optimist sees the glass as half full; the pessimist sees it as half empty. The opportunist swoops in and drinks what’s in the glass while the optimist and pessimist discuss the situation!

In this session, you’ll differentiate between optimism and pessimism, discover the major characteristics, and consider the value of both attitudes.

What is Optimism?

Optimism and pessimism are attitudes which affect the way we see the world and what is happening around us. Optimists see success as the result of their own hard work, whereas a pessimist views success as being the result of good luck or fate.

Optimists see something like the loss of a job as a short term problem or the result of a lack of work in their field. They tell themselves that they will work hard to find another job, and as a result, another job will be secured. A pessimist sees a job loss as someone else’s doing: their boss does not like them, the system is against them, and/or life is not fair. When a pessimist loses their job, they see it as a huge barrier. They may even take it to the extent that they will never find work again.

In his long-running research and best-selling book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, Dr. Martin Seligman describes how differently optimists and pessimists view the world. He also teaches how to shift our thinking to be more optimistic. The benefits to optimism are indisputable, as evidenced by repeated studies. Optimists have better overall health, live longer, and are able to more easily adapt to even the most harsh or horrible circumstances. Pessimists on the other hand, suffer more incidents of ill health, including increased clinical depression and anxiety.

Pessimists can learn to change attitudes and be more optimistic. Not only do they become healthier, but they also get more happiness from life in doing so.

Being an optimist is not always an approach that you can take in light of difficulty or adversity, however. If you want to focus on achievement, focus on improving morale, inspire, or teach, Dr. Seligman recommends an optimistic approach. However, pessimism also has a certain place, and even some benefits. Even the very optimistic can become pessimistic at times. Pessimism does have a way of looking at things realistically, which some optimists may fail to do.

ABC’s of Optimism

Here is a framework that you can use to work through any situation in an optimistic, realistic way. You can use the steps as outlined from A through E to help you define and work through the issue. (This model was originally developed by Dr. Martin Seligman.)

A – Adversity

• Anything you see as a problem

B – Beliefs

• Our thoughts on the adversity become our belief
• How do we feel about the adversity?

C – Consequence

• What action takes place because of our belief

D – Disputation, Distancing, or Distracting

Disputation is arguing with yourself:

• What is the evidence for this belief?
• What are some alternative ways to look at the adversity?
• Even if my belief is correct, you say to yourself, what are its implications? De-catastrophe the situation.
• How useful is holding on to a negative belief?

Distancing means moving away from the pessimistic attitude.

• We can distance ourselves from the unfounded accusations of others but we are much worse at distancing ourselves from the accusations that we launch daily at ourselves. They are usually bad habits of thought produced by unpleasant experiences from the past.
• Stand back and defend yourself.

Distracting helps you break away from the pessimistic thoughts.

• Use a mental or physical technique to make yourself stop. Some people use an elastic band that they snap when they think pessimistically.
• Do what you have to do to turn your directions elsewhere.

Energization

• How disputing your pessimistic thoughts makes you feel.
• “When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught how to fly.” (Barbara J. Winter)

Pessimism vs. Optimism

A pessimist and optimist view the same situations differently. Dr. Martin Seligman explains it like this:

• A pessimist sees things as permanent, pervasive, and personal.
• An optimist will see it as temporary, isolated, and effort is possible. They see that they have control.

VET Process

VET is a way to help to explore the problem. VET stands for Validate, Explore, and Transform.

• Validating emotions means recognizing what it is and naming it. It doesn’t try to ignore or change what the emotion is. It is accepting it for what it is… a piece of information.
• Exploring looks at understanding why you are feeling that emotion. Where did it come from and why is it useful information to have?
• The last process is transforming the emotion so you can create the best possible outcome.