Compare and Contrast the Concepts of Optimism and Hopefulness. Under What Circumstances Might Optimism Be Harmful? What Is Defensive Pessimism and Under What Circumstances Might This Be Beneficial?

C Brown

February 12, 2013

Checkpoint 8

Compare and contrast the concepts of optimism and hopefulness. Under what circumstances might optimism be harmful? What is defensive pessimism and under what circumstances might this be beneficial?

Post a 200- to 300-word response.

When you think of optimism and hopefulness you may think they are the same thing. Indeed they do fall in the same category because the words are very similar but they do not mean the same thing. Hopefulness stimulates optimism. Optimism is disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome Optimism in all situations are good. Everyone wants they favorable outcome but when you cancel all other outcomes out that is what can harm the human mind. For example; say you are getting test for cancer and you have a history in your family of cancer. You risk of cancer is higher than most. Even though you know you risk is higher you still decided to be optimistic to the point that you optimism is unrealistic. You start believing that there is no way that you can get cancer even though it runs in your family and there is a significant chance you might. Your optimism has now clouded you thoughts of reality and what might happen. The doctor comes in the room and tells you that you do have traces of cancer in your body. You are crushed and go into a great depression, a depression deeper than normal because you were so hope full and unrealistic. In this situation I think it would have been better if the person used a defensive pessimism way thinking. Defensive pessimism is thinking the worst may occur. You make yourself have very low expectations of situations or persons you may come in contact with. Some people always say you look at the bright side, but what happens when you look at the bright side and something happens and now the light you thought was going to appear because dimmed by a situation. If you look at the down side of situation you have no other place but to go other than up.