Cultivating Optimism
We make attributions or think about life events along
several dimensions:
Permanent………………………………………………………………...………….Temporary
Personally Caused………………………..……….Impersonal (random/accidental)
Pervasive……………………………………………………………………………………….Local
(affecting all areas of life)
(affecting one part of life)
People who are happy and resilient have a particular way of
making attributions about events.
Good events are seen as permanent (long lasting), personally
caused (caused by me) and pervasive (affecting many areas of life).
Bad events are seen as temporary (short lasting), impersonal
(random/accidental), and local (affecting one area of life).
Depressed people make attributions in the mirrored opposite
way!
Good events are seen as temporary (don’t last), impersonal
(random/accidental) and local (affecting only one area of life).
Bad events are seen as permanent (long lasting), personally caused (my fault), and pervasive
(affecting many areas of life).
We can cultivate optimism by training ourselves to think
optimistically, the way happy people do - good lasts and bad doesn’t.
When bad happens, ask
yourself these questions:
Permanence- What is the first sign this is no longer
affecting me or is affecting me less?
Personally Caused- What is the evidence that this bad
event happens to others and isn’t my fault? If this happened to someone else, would I
blame them as I blame myself?
Pervasiveness- What can I do to bounce back? What
would I be doing if this hadn’t happened?
When good happens,
ask yourself these questions:
Permanence- How can I keep the good effects going?
Personally Caused-How did I help this happen? What did
I do right?
Pervasiveness – How can I use this in other areas of
my life? How can I share or celebrate this
with others?
Adapted from Lynn D. Johnson, Ph.D. Enjoy Life Submitted by
Holly O. Houston, Ph.D.
