So I have just bought the book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
Take the Test for Pessimism or Optimism
So here I am happily, (or unhappily and pessimistically it would seem), wandering through my life for the last 100 years thinking that I am fairly optimistic – yes, I know I lied above saying I thought I was in the middle, I really thought I was more optimistic than others.
I went to Seligman’s site a while back and registered and took the test on strengths, quite happy with the results I ignored the rest of the tests. So many of them are on depression, and I knew that I was not going to score well in those given that I have a tendency toward depression, cynicism, etc.
Yesterday after buying the book I broke down and went back to the site and took the test on pessimism scale, or if you want to be happy about it the optimism scale.
I was stunned, here are my results:
Permanence-Good Events
People who believe good events have a permanent cause are more optimistic than those who believe they have temporary causes.
If your score is 7 or 8, you are very optimistic about the likelihood of good events continuing; 6, moderately optimistic; 4 or 5, average; 3, moderately pessimistic; and 0, 1, or 2, very pessimistic.
My score 1
Permanence-Bad Events
People who give up easily believe the causes of the bad events that happen to them are permanent—the bad events will persist, are always going to be there to affect their lives. People who resist helplessness believe the causes of bad events are temporary.
If your score is 0-1, you are very optimistic on this dimension; 2 or 3, moderately optimistic; 4 average, 5 or 6 quite pessimistic and if you got a 7 or 8 you are very pessimistic.
My Score 5 quite pessimistic
Pervasiveness-Good Events
The optimist believes good events will enhance everything he does, while the pessimist believes good events are caused by specific factors.
If your score is 7 or 8, you are very optimistic; 6, moderately optimistic; 4 or 5, average; 3, moderately pessimistic; and 0, 1, or 2, very pessimistic
My Score 0 – very pessimistic
Pervasiveness-Bad Events
People who make universal (pessimistic) explanations for their failures give up on everything when a failure strikes in one area. People who make specific (optimistic) explanations may become helpless in that one part of their lives, yet march stalwart on in others.
If your score is 0-1, you are very optimistic on this dimension; 2 or 3, moderately so; 4 average, 5 or 6 quite pessimistic; and if you got a 7 or 8 very pessimistic
My Score 3 moderately optimistic
Hopefulness
Whether or not we have hope depends on the two dimensions of Permanence and Pervasiveness taken together. Finding permanent and universal causes of good events along with temporary and specific causes for misfortune is the art of hope finding permanent and universal causes for misfortune and temporary and specific causes of good events is the practice of despair.
If your score is 10 to 16, you are extraordinarily hopeful; 6 to 9, moderately hopeful; from 1 to 5, average, from minus 5 to 0, moderately hopeless; and below minus 5, severely hopeless.
My Score -7 severely hopeless
The last one is the real kicker – hopeless…
My Explanations of Pessimism
The first thing that comes to mind is that these tests are designed for Americans by Americans – we European are quite different creatures – more civilised I like to think.
My second thoughts on this are that I must have miss-understood the questions and answered them all the wrong way around – but then why would I be moderately optimistic when it comes to getting over bad events? And this is something that I do recognise in myself, my ability to get over a lot of stuff and move on.
My cynicism maybe that is what comes through, or as I like to see it my realistic view of people and the world. Do I trust people in general? Well, no, why would you? I quite like my cynicism, I get lots of laughs from it, it is my comfort blanket, however is it possible to be optimistic and cynical at the same time – I doubt.
What do Friends Think?
This most of all has been interesting, and bloody shocking. They do not think I am optimistic. However because they are friends they have been very gentle with me, and I can feel them holding back. Survey Monkey might have been more use to and let people answer questions anonymously – am I taking this too far?
Anna however reiterated one of my stories and wishes back to me this morning. This is it:
I have always wanted a house in the countryside with a big bit of land and a stream running through it, so far so good, nothing bad there.
My reasons get interesting and this is where she had fun watching my reactions.
I would like the land to be able to grow my food, the stream to generate my electricity, in general to be as self-sufficient as possible – to not have to depend on others. Interesting
More than likely I would even build a bunker if I thought geo-political stability was in real danger.
I think I will go and read some more of the book Learned Optimism