What’s up with all this positivity?
This form of an extreme positive attitude can be welcomed by many and deplored by many as well, can’t it?
Positivity is usually attached to someone who only sees the opportunity of good always happening. There is never a thought that something could go wrong. This leads to a question; is there a possibility of your plans ever being disappointing or going wrong?
Of course is the only answer that I can think of.
Why am I writing about positivity? It is because North Americans have long held a cheerful attitude toward life. The challenge is that positivity is not all it is cracked up to be. Although having a positive attitude undoubtedly has its benefits in areas such as better health; it is not a proven fact in all areas of life. What is very interesting is that research suggests that a positive attitude can be detrimental under certain circumstances.
In the late 1990s, a number of well-known psychologists led by University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman created a field called positive psychology. This growing discipline explored the causes and consequences of happiness, along with the character strengths and virtues, resilience, and other important facets of psychological adjustment and health. What was interesting to me is that not all of the positive psychologists pushed a positive attitude at any price. In a book written in 1990, Martin Seligman warned that optimism “may sometimes keep us from seeing reality with the necessary clarity.” In an article in the year 2000 psychologist Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan distinguished realistic optimism, which hopes for the best while maintaining awareness to potential threats, from unrealistic positivity that ignores threats.
My concluding question is; do you have realistic optimism or unrealistic positivity that ignores threats?
Tim, mostly I agree with your point that realistic optimism is a more healthy, rational and useful attitude than unrealistic positivity.
However, where do you place hope and faith between those two?
In really dire situations, where the outcome could as easily be life or death, sometimes faith and hope are the only things that ensure our survival. Faith and hope where there can be no grounds for realistic optimism, work miracles.
So yes, I believe there is a place for unrealistic positivity, but not in every day things for instance, affirming ” I will earn $10 000 this month” while making no attempt to make a sale.
Peter, interest perspective. While it is different than mine it is not the first time that people have not agreed with me or will it be the last. In answer to your question I do not place faith or hope between the two. I don’t believe it is on a continuum. The way I see hope is that it is trust that things will work out the way they should no matter if it is good or bad in our perception. While having faith is belief in something where no evidence is needed. Therefore if you tie hope and faith together if even the worst situation occurs your perception of life does not feel destroyed. This is because deep down you know that what has happened has occurred to give you the opportunity to become stronger and move forward due to your undying faith that you were placed on earth for a purpose.