Positive Psychology is the outgrowth of Martin Selgiman's theory of Learned Optimism, which is the outgrowth of his Learned Helplessness theory, so I've been reading his book about this learned optimism...it's absolutely fascinating! AND, the #1 most fascinating "fact" about optimism is how an optimistic person (when bad things happen) will blame external factors (other people or circumstances) rather than place the "blame" internally.
Yes, that's right...optimists blame others when bad things happen...lol.
Not in a pathological way, of course. However...given all possible explanations for why an optimist didn't win the lottery, they tend to choose something about luck. However, the second most fascinating fact about optimism is that IF they happen to WIN the lottery, they will then tend to attribute it to something thet THEY have done...lol...such as choosing the right numbers...lol.
Absolutely fascinating!
But the discrimination is in the difference between the notion of "blame" versus "attribute." An optimist will "attribute" causative explanations for why something bad happened to external factors (e.g., "I didn't win the lottery because of bad luck."); but, they don't feel victimized by it, whereas the pessimist could explain the lottery loss In the exact same way, but they feel victimized by it.
Optimists attribute bad things to external causes, but they do not feel victimized by it!
I think the subtle difference is that the optimist accepts the fact that the lottery is a game of chance (i.e., luck), so they don't personalize the "bad luck." Whereas the pessimist personalizes the bad luck as belonging to them (i.e., I am un unlucky person.); hence, they tend to feel victimized by the not winning of the lottery!
This is just absolutely fascinating to me, and I will continue to study this learned optimism, because the key word is learned.
Optimism is learned...which also means that Pessimism is escapeable...lol.
The results of my Pessimost-vs-Optimist questionnaire ranks me as only mildly pessimistic, so it could be a whole lot worse...lol. But, since "authentic happiness" is associated with the optimistic side of life, I want to change the thinking that keeps taking me down Pessimism Lane...lol.
Every single thing that happens in life involves the event itself, and then how we choose to explain the event...which then opens up completely different cabinets of options from which we then choose to react and respond.
As for me, I want new options...but it's a lot of work to find out what's behind Door #3.
