Did you think there were only optimistic and pessimistic people? Why there are positive and negative people among optimists and how they differ.
Optimistic people see the world and what is happening in it in a positive light. They usually have a great deal of basic trust and generally assume that things will turn out for the better. Pessimistic people, on the other hand, are often more skeptical and cautious. They often expect the worst and do not have much faith that anything will turn out well.
To get straight to the point: Even though optimists usually have it easier and can enjoy life more, there is nothing wrong with being pessimistic. This is especially true because we cannot usually choose this basic way of thinking – let alone change it overnight. Pessimistic thinking can be a coping mechanism that is deeply rooted in us. People who have experienced a lot of uncertainty or trauma and are therefore more anxious often unconsciously use pessimism as a kind of protective shield: “If I imagine the worst-case scenario in detail and assume that it will happen, nothing can surprise me negatively.”
A broad spectrum: positive and negative optimists
And in fact, optimism and pessimism are not the only two possible ways of thinking. Rather, the whole thing is a spectrum with many subtle nuances. For example, there are positive as well as negative optimists, as psychologist Dr. Jeremy Sherman writes on “Psychology Today.” While positively optimistic people really see everything through the proverbial rose-tinted glasses, negatively optimistic people approach situations hopefully, but with a healthy dose of realism.
Dr. Sherman gives some examples of such negative optimists: These include oncologists and criminologists, for example. Both professional groups believe in a better world and are consciously committed to it. Cancer doctors believe that people can live healthier and longer lives, while criminologists assume that there can be a society with less crime. But in order to achieve this goal, both groups recognize that there is something negative that is worth fighting against – in these cases, cancer cells and crime.
Dr. Jeremy Sherman, on the other hand, sees positive optimists primarily in the areas of politics or religion or spirituality. Representatives of these professional groups promote a better world. “They do not lose sight of the goal, be it a utopian vision of an ideal world or a kind of heaven after death.”
A good dose of realism can help
Both forms of optimism have their place in their respective fields. While an oncologist would not do her job well if she naively assumed that cancer cells would not form if we just firmly believed that we would stay healthy, a spiritual leader who only warned about the dangers of the world would probably not do his role justice either.
At the same time, according to Dr. Sherman, it is important to understand that people who think negatively optimistic often have a particularly hard time. It is not easy to maintain positive thinking when you have to deal with a realistic view of illnesses or the depths of the human psyche at the same time. But this is necessary so that there can continue to be hope for a better world.
Conclusion: How positive should we think?
Positive thinking is healthy and can help us to live an easier, more pleasant and perhaps even more successful life in many situations. But in certain areas, a healthy dose of realism is not only helpful, it is even necessary.
No matter where you would place yourself on the optimism-pessimism scale, there is nothing wrong with that, it is simply what you have learned from your own experiences and backgrounds to be the safest point for you. But becoming aware of your own ability to think positively can help. Because with a little reflection and inner work, we can perhaps learn to see the world a little more positively – or a little more realistically.