When faced with a calamity, Seligman explains that we process it in three ways. It is the great modulator of learned helplessness." - Learned Optimism, page 15 Identifying your Explanatory Style "Explanatory style is the manner in which you habitually explain to yourself why events happen. Seligman presents readers with various opportunities to assess their natural tendency through quizzes within the book, providing opportunity for real time application of the theories and suggestions presented. While this piece is quite involved and wide reaching, readers will learn the foundation of both optimistic and pessimistic outlooks and how to identify their own explanatory style, the theory behind learned optimism and the need for selective and situational application. Seligman compiled countless studies and comparative research summaries to present a compelling and hopeful case for the opportunity to counteract your innate tendencies, through learned and deliberate practices to form selective approaches to life’s rollercoaster of events. This innate tendency, if left unattended, can affect the way we perform and interact in all spheres of life, both professionally and personally. In fact, it is likely that our tendency towards a positive or negative reproach is innate, that we are born with either an optimistic or negative outlook. PHQ, Hong Kong Island and Marine: 2866-6206 (5/F, 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay) Kowloon and the New Territories: 2735-3739 (22/F, Ocean Building, 80 Shanghai Street, Kowloon)."Our thoughts are not merely reactions to events they change what ensues." - Learned Optimism, page 7Īs we know, life inflicts the same setbacks and tragedies on us all, but how we as individuals weather these storms is wholly unique and independent from our peers. Seek advice and help from the Psychological Services Group: Thirty places for each session will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. * Venue: Police Sports and Recreation Club Sportsman Bar * Time: 8.45 am - 12.30 pm (Participants are requested to arrive 15 minutes early) The PSG will organise a series of stress management workshops to be conducted in Chinese. You can refer to the book "Learned Optimism" by Martin E. In the next issue, we will give you some practical advice on learning optimism. Apart from these, compared with pessimists, optimists are less prone to depression because they have higher self-esteem and are less likely to feel helpless. Even if they fail to cope with a problem effectively, they can still learn from the process. The negative information thus helps them obtain feedback and evaluate their progress. This is because, with their positive expectation of the future, they believe that they have adequate coping resources to confront negative information. Interestingly, they tend to pay more attention to negative information. Psychologically, optimists have more flexible and adaptive cognitive strategies. For instance, optimism may strengthen our immune defences and optimists are more likely to take action to prevent or treat illness. Numerous researches suggest that optimism improves both our physical and psychological health. In short, learned optimism is a style of thinking that good events are caused by permanent, universal and internal factors whereas bad events are caused by temporary, specific and external factors. "I'm a competent officer with good shooting skills."Į.g. The table below shows how these three dimensions are used to define optimism and pessimism.Į.g. Optimists and pessimists differ in these three dimensions in explaining good and bad events that happen to them. In determining optimism, there are three dimensions in one's explanatory style, which are permanence, pervasiveness and personalisation. Learned optimism, according to Dr Seligman, referred to the ways people adopt to explain events in their lives. Nevertheless, in the 1990s, Dr M Seligman, a renowned psychologist, proposed that optimism could be learned. Probably to both psychologists and the layman, optimism has all along been viewed as dispositional. We often hear people say that we need to be positive and optimistic when faced with difficulties. Positive Psychology ~ Optimism: You can learn it!
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