 Today’s notes will encompass two very large concepts that affect our view of the future: Optimism Hope  Before you begin, write down what you believe these two words mean.

 Optimism is: the belief that bad events are temporary, are not your own fault, and are confined to the present circumstances only.  (meaning: an optimistic person would see that you locked your keys in your car because in this instance other thoughts were occupying your focus and not that you are a dumb person that always screws up)

 People generally explain bad events in three ways: Permanence, Pervasiveness, and Personalization.  Optimistic people generally avoid these (usually incorrect) explanations. Pessimists, the opposite of an optimist, usually employ them.

 Permanence  A pessimistic belief that bad events that happen will always be there to affect life.  The Optimist Says: bad events are temporary; good events affect us long term.

 Pervasiveness  Pessimistic belief that failing in one area translates to all other areas of life.  The Optimist Says: bad events are specific to one situation, not universal. (meaning just because you got dumped doesn’t mean you failed at everything else in life).

 Personalization  Pessimistic belief that bad events are your own fault rather than due to random circumstances.  The Optimist Says: bad events are random/not your fault. Good events are due to your own strengths/not random.

 Seligman (1998) warned that while optimism is necessary to a healthy positive attitude, too much optimism can erode your sense of responsibility. A person needs to find a balance in awareness between what they is their fault and what is just bad luck.

 There are two techniques in overcoming pessimism:  Distraction  Disputation Optimist Pessimist Realist

 Distraction:  Definition: trying to think of something other than the pessimistic belief.  This technique works best when action needs to be immediate and having negative thoughts can be destructive. Example: a cop in a dangerous situation may think “I could be shot”. They could use distraction to erase this pessimistic thought so that they are more focused on their task.

 Disputation:  Definition: arguing with yourself about a pessimistic belief or thought.  Four ways to do this: Distancing – what if someone else was having this thought, what would you say to them? Evidence – check to see if there is some way to disprove the thought. Alternatives – Usually pessimists see the most harmful/defeating reason for a situation. Ask yourself if there is any other reason this could have occurred. Decatastrophizing – Pessimists think situations are “the end of the world”. Realizing this is not the case can really help ease the situation.

 The overall perception that your goals can be met.  Hope has 3 necessary ingredients:  Goal-oriented thoughts  A pathway to being able to achieve goals  Agency thoughts

 Goal-Oriented Thoughts  All nonrandom behaviors are directed by some goal  Goals need to hold sufficient value so that we think about them often  Goals should be attainable, but uncertain. Goals that are 100% likely to be achieved do not contribute to a person’s hope.

 Pathways to Achievement  To achieve goals, people need plausible routes to achieving them. Singular or multiple pathways may need to be created. People with the highest level of hope tend to generate multiple pathways in order to combat unforeseen obstacles.

 Agency Thoughts  Agency refers to our ability to act in the world (that we have to ability to control our lives).  People need to believe that they can initiate and sustain the pathways to goal achievement.  This is where a mentor or motivational person comes into play.

 In studies, hope has been linked to higher academic and athletic performance, better adjustment, and better coping with health issues.  People with higher levels of hope:  Have higher SAT and GPA scores  Remember positive comments more  Feel motivated, not demoralized, by challenges  Have higher feelings of self-worth  Perceived less pain in medical situations

 Now, compare the information in the notes that you just took and what you wrote down before starting. Answer:  Were you correct in your pre-notes definitions?  Did anything in the notes surprise you?  Was there anything you thought was total junk?  While taking the notes, did you remember any situations where you took a pessimistic stance? What happened, and how could you have reacted differently?  What questions do you still have about the subjects covered, or, what would you like to talk about in the next class?