Learned OptimismQian and Marla

Can optimism be learned?

According to Martin Seligman, the answer is Yes.

Seligman coined the word of positive psychology, which focuses on optimism and happiness rather than on textbook neuroses and perpetual psychological dysfunction.

Negative Self-Talk

Pessimism: look at the worst of every sitution

Catastrophizing: ming the worst of a situaiton

Blaming: shifting the responsibiltiy for circumstances to someone other than yourself

Perfectionism: imposing above-human standards on your self

Negative Self-talk

Polarized thinking: where everything is seen as an extreme

Should-ing: reprimanding yourself for things you should have done

Magnifying: blowing problems out of proportion

Awfulizing: putting mental processed into a shallow, one-track mode

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

One technique to convert negative thoughts to neutral thoughts, similar to Ellis’s RET, is called thought stopping.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy is used to describe the link between perception/beliefs and their related behaviors.

Summary

The acceptance of situation we have no control over is thought to be paramount as a stress management strategy. Focusing on the positive is reframing the current situation. It is an appreciation of the present moment. Acknowledge the negative. Learn from it, but don’t dwell on it. Focus on the positive aspects and build on them.

Works Cited

Seaward, B. L. (2004). Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.