Optimism And Health
Individual Optimism and Health
John Smith
Psy 220
March 23, 2011
Risa Hobson
Optimists take proactive steps to protect their physical and mental health as well as focusing on goals that benefit their socioeconomic standing. "The trait of optimism may provide cognitive, coping, and contextual resources that promote better mental health" (Carver, et al., 2010. p. 880 pp. 2). Optimism is a behavioral trait that describes people who look for the positive in a situation. Optimism can help people cope in negative situations and lead to greater well-being. Optimists ability to cope with negative situations gives them increased opportunity to succeed and live healthier lives, compared to pessimists, because they believe a positive result is more likely. Comparatively, optimists should be measured the same against pessimists on a scale of very pessimistic to very optimistic with the majority of people falling somewhere in the middle (Carver, et al., 2010). People display varying degrees of copability when confronted with positive and negative situations and tend to react based on their acquired behavior. Past experiences can affect the response of a person to either pessimism or optimism depending on whether the cause was permanent or temporary (Peterson & Seligman, 1984). How a person responds can influence the ultimate outcome of a …show more content…
It allows a person to overlook or cope with emotionally stressful situations despite the negative circumstances and see an outcome to which they will ultimately benefit. A person with dispositional optimism also shows a motivation toward goals that improve physical health and a decrease in the level of engagement in activities that might be harmful. Optimism is a behavioral trait that does not have to be inherited and can be taught to anybody that wish to improve their
John Smith
Psy 220
March 23, 2011
Risa Hobson
Optimists take proactive steps to protect their physical and mental health as well as focusing on goals that benefit their socioeconomic standing. "The trait of optimism may provide cognitive, coping, and contextual resources that promote better mental health" (Carver, et al., 2010. p. 880 pp. 2). Optimism is a behavioral trait that describes people who look for the positive in a situation. Optimism can help people cope in negative situations and lead to greater well-being. Optimists ability to cope with negative situations gives them increased opportunity to succeed and live healthier lives, compared to pessimists, because they believe a positive result is more likely. Comparatively, optimists should be measured the same against pessimists on a scale of very pessimistic to very optimistic with the majority of people falling somewhere in the middle (Carver, et al., 2010). People display varying degrees of copability when confronted with positive and negative situations and tend to react based on their acquired behavior. Past experiences can affect the response of a person to either pessimism or optimism depending on whether the cause was permanent or temporary (Peterson & Seligman, 1984). How a person responds can influence the ultimate outcome of a …show more content…
It allows a person to overlook or cope with emotionally stressful situations despite the negative circumstances and see an outcome to which they will ultimately benefit. A person with dispositional optimism also shows a motivation toward goals that improve physical health and a decrease in the level of engagement in activities that might be harmful. Optimism is a behavioral trait that does not have to be inherited and can be taught to anybody that wish to improve their