OPTIMISM

“Man does not need the mortar of truth to seal up the prisons of his fear.”

Montaigne

Homework• Spirituality and Religion in the VIA Survey– One Question – “Religion”– Spiritual Person – Purpose, Faith, Calling, Prayer– Spirituality = search or connection with the

“sacred”Mindfulness and Character Strengths

by Ryan M. Niemic

Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, Martin E.P. Seligman

Type A

• 1950 by Meyer Friedman and R.H. Rosenman• Link between personality and heart attacks…• Western Collaborative Group Study looked at

3154 men: Type A 1589, Type B 1565• Person’s personality type– Smoking– Cancer– Heart Disease

Type A

• 1994, Friedman wrote OSHA …– Type A behavior – Correlated in only 3 of 12 studies

• One component of a Type A personality – HOSTILITY – was related to Heart Disease

Redford Williams of Duke UD.W. Johnson 1993

The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine

Positive Psychotherapy - Summary

• Drugs : Curative and Cosmetic• Curative drugs cure and the condition does

not reoccur. • Cosmetic drugs are a palliative. • While palliation is a good thing; it is not the

goal of intervention. • No curative drugs used in psychotherapy; only

cosmetic drugs.

Positive Psychotherapy - Summary

• Active, Constructive Responding

• Most personality traits are inherited.

• Learn to deal with negative emotions.

OPTIMISM

• Positive emotions about the future:– Faith– Trust– Confidence– Hope– Optimism

Optimism and Hope

• Can be built• Cause– Better resistance to depression – Better performance at work– Better physical health

EXPLANATORY STYLE

• A Habit Of Thought – – Your habitual way of explaining bad events– Stems from your view of your place in the world– Are you valuable and deserving, or worthless and

hopeless

It is whether you are an optimist or a pessimist.2 Dimensions: PERMANENCE, & PERVASIVENESS

PERMANENCE

• PERMANENCE: always and never rather than sometimes and lately when explaining the causes of bad events

PERMANENCEPERMANENT (PESSIMISTIC)

TEMPORARY (OPTIMISTIC)

I’m all washed up. I’m exhausted.

Diets never work. Diets don’t work when you eat out.

You always nag. You nag when I don’t clean my room.

The boss is an SOB. The boss is in a bad mood.

You never talk to me. You haven’t talked to me lately.

PERMANENCEItems marked PMB (Permanent Bad),

2,7,13,14,19,22,28, and 31. 0 or 1 Very optimistic on this

dimension

2 or 3 Moderately optimistic

4 Average

5 or 6 Quite pessimistic

7 or 8 Stay awake for the changing from pessimistic to optimistic next week

PERMANENCETEMPORARY (PESSIMISTIC)

PERMANENT (OPTIMISTIC)

It’s my lucky day. I’m always lucky.

I try hard. I’m talented.

My rival got tired. My rival is no good.

PERMANENCEItems marked PMG (Permanent Good),

1,6,8,9,16,17,26, and 27

7 or 8 Very optimistic on this dimension

6 Moderately optimistic

4 or 5 Average

3 Moderately pessimistic

0,1, or 2 Very pessimistic

PERVASIVENESS

• PERMANENCE is about time. • PERVASIVENESS is about space.

• PERVASIVENESS: Events are viewed as specific or universal.

PERVASIVENESSUNIVERSAL (PESSIMISTIC)

SPECIFIC (OPTIMISTIC)

All teachers are unfair. Professor Seligman is unfair.

I’m repulsive. I’m repulsive to him.

Books are useless. This book is useless.

PERVASIVENESSItems Marked PVB (Pervasiveness Bad),

5,10,11,12,15,21,30, and 32

0 or 1 Very optimistic on this dimension

2 or 3 Moderately optimistic

4 Average

5 or 6 Moderately pessimistic

7 or 8 Very pessimistic

PERVASIVENESS

SPECIFIC (PESSIMISTIC) UNIVERSAL (OPTIMISTIC)

I’m smart at math. I’m smart.

My broker knows oil stocks.

My broker knows wall street.

I was charming to her. I was charming.

PERVASIVENESSItems Marked PVG (Pervasiveness Good),

3,4,18,20,23,24,25, and 29

7 or 8 Very optimistic on this dimension

6 Moderately optimistic

4 or 5 Average

3 Moderately pessimistic

0, 1, or 2 Very pessimistic

HOPEBad Events

HOPELESS HOPEFUL

I’m stupid. I’m hung over.

Men are tyrants. My husband was in a bad mood.

It’s five to ten this lump is cancer.

It’s five to ten this lump is nothing.

HOPE

• HOPE SCORE FOR BAD EVENTS: HoB = PVB total + PMB total

HOPEGood Events

HOPELESS HOPEFUL

I’m lucky. I’m talented.

My wife charms my clients.

My wife charms everyone.

The U.S. will root out the terrorists.

The U.S. will root out all its enemies.

HOPE

• HOPE SCORE FOR GOOD EVENTS:

HoG = PVG + PMG total

HOPE = HoG - HoB

10 to 16 You are extraordinarily hopeful

6 to 9 Moderately hopeful

1 to 5 Average

-5 to 0 Moderately hopeless

Below -5 Severely hopeless

Optimistic People

• Use Proactive Coping Strategies – to eliminate, reduce, or manage stress and

negative emotions• More Positive Expectancies For Success– approach difficult situations– expend energy to solve problems

Pessimistic People

• More Likely– to become depressed– to become physically ill– have shorter life spans