You can often hear about someone that he is still an optimist. Sometimes it is spoken in an approving tone, but sometimes with ridicule. Therefore, it is not always clear whether it is good to be optimistic. What are the weaknesses and advantages of this type of thinking? What is more in it: pluses or minuses? Is it worth developing this type of thinking in yourself or in your child? What dangers lurk optimists on the path of life? Can we say that they are more likely to succeed? About all this in more detail.
Who is the optimist
An optimist is a person who expects a positive outcome of events. He believes that everything will be fine, success will come. If we draw parallels with the types of temperament, the optimist is closest to the sanguine person. Thanks to confidence in luck, he is also distinguished by high spirits and good mood. This characteristic helps to understand what the word optimist means.
The antagonist of this type of personality is called a pessimist. If you put them in one company, the contrast will immediately become apparent. Positive will face negative, plus negative. The optimist and the pessimist reflect the classic dualism of the world. They are like "Yin and Yang", which complement each other, bringing special colors and shades to the dialogue. The brightest and most common example showing the differences between these two types of thinking is a glass half filled with water. A pessimist will say that the glass is half empty, and an optimist will say that it is half full.
Only a realist can balance their argument. And here you can remember another example. A pessimist sees a long tunnel. An optimist notices the light at the end of this tunnel. And only a realist understands that the light comes from the train, which is carried on them. This comic story demonstrates the limitations of each of the opposite types of thinking. But, nevertheless, a deliberately positive approach has advantages, which will be discussed later.
Having understood who are optimists, it is good to find out what their types are, and how they differ from each other.
Kinds of optimists
Despite the fact that optimism is a rather averaged concept, one can distinguish its various types. First of all, optimists differ in rationality of world view. Thus, optimism is rational or irrational. In the first case, it arises in response to an adequate assessment of the situation when a person realizes that he has a real chance of winning. In the second case, it is a blind, unwarranted belief in success. Such an optimist is convinced of a positive outcome under any circumstances and even regardless of the efforts made by him. If a rational approach can be considered constructive, then the irrationality is akin to arrogance and carelessness, which are fraught with disappointment.
There are more original classifications. For example, an American researcher Lionel tiger proposed to divide optimism into small and large. The first concerns everyday situations and specific life moments. The second is associated with confidence in the positive resolution of global problems.
Polish scientist Janusz Chapinski singled out defensive and expansive optimism. They differ in motion vector: either avoiding failure (defense) or moving toward success (expansion). Immediately, we note that the optimist is in a better position with the second type of thinking, since he initially lacks a negative attitude. He does not think about failure, but simply strives for success. It is believed that expansive optimism is more characteristic of young people, whereas after 45 years its defensive form is widespread.
You can also highlight individual and social optimism. This quality is considered in the context of one person or a group of people, including the society as a whole. This division was proposed by domestic sociologists.
At the household optimists are more difficult to classify, but real. This classification does not describe all possible options, since each case is individual, but we can say that there are such types of optimists:
- Dreamy - believe in a bright future, enjoying the process of dreaming itself;
- Naive - always wear "rose-colored glasses", flatly refusing to accept reality;
- Pathos - they are distinguished by youthful maximalism and complete non-acceptance of problems;
- Progressive - strive for high achievements in the future, putting all forces to their improvement;
- Ethical - overflowing with faith in the victory of good over evil and the universal "Happy End".
Perhaps, in one of these descriptions, someone recognizes himself or his neighbor, friend, colleague. The following are the main criteria that help us understand that we are an optimist.
How to recognize an optimist
You can learn that we are an optimist by a number of signs. They are related to his way of thinking and the outward manifestation of positive thoughts. Human optimism is expressed in confidence and good mood. Often, being a sanguine person, he is distinguished by a smile and a cheerful mood. Believing in his success, such a person behaves accordingly - as a winner. He does not panic at the slightest reason, but always looks for possible solutions.
Since there are different types of this type of personality, sometimes it is not easy to understand what kind of optimist met. It is better when it is a rational form that has real reason to behave this way. If the interlocutor is an arrogant person who stubbornly does not take off the rose-colored glasses, his carelessness can confuse others. This is one of the significant drawbacks of optimism. We will talk about all the pros and cons of this type of thinking in the next section.
Good or bad to be optimistic
What is an optimist, like, figured out. Now we’ll answer the question “Is it good to be?”, Because it interests many people. Especially parents who do not fully understand whether it is worth developing this quality in their child. Immediately, we note that optimism, like any other personality trait, carries both benefits and threats to a person. First, consider the positive side.
The advantages of optimists
Pluses of optimism are closely related to the human psyche and its emotional background. Positive positively displayed on the state of health, stimulates the production of "hormones of happiness", helps to fight depression and stress. Therefore, optimists stay young longer, feel better.
In addition to the healing effect, the attitude to win helps in achieving success. By the principle of feedback, a person gets what he thinks about. If he is set to positive, then he finds it always and everywhere. Moreover, an optimist can “infect” other people with enthusiasm. Therefore, this type is often found among leaders and leaders.
Disadvantages optimists
Optimists and minuses, who sometimes play a cruel joke, are not deprived either personally with them or with people who have believed them. These shortcomings are related to too arrogant people who are waiting for random success, without having the slightest prerequisite for this. For example, someone will have to enter a boxing match against a champion, and he never even had gloves in his hands. Of course, miracles occur, but their percentage is so small that the result of this fight is almost a foregone conclusion. Such optimism is akin to stupidity and most often does not lead to good.
Self-reliance and almost fanatical confidence in a positive finale very often diminishes the vigilance of such people. They simply do not prepare for possible “plot line” twists. But they say that it is better to overestimate the enemy than to underestimate. Sometimes realists or even pessimists can get around an optimist due to the effort invested. This should not be forgotten, both by the optimists themselves and their surroundings. On how to build a dialogue with this type of personality and bring it up in childhood, let's talk further.
How to behave with an optimist
Communicating with an optimist is a pleasant activity, but until a certain point. Of course, the charge of positive energy does not hurt anyone, but it is not always useful to adopt the practice of self-confidence. For example, a student is on the verge of expulsion from a university. His optimistic friend cheers and calms him down with all his might. On the one hand, this is good because it calms a person, relieves his nervous overstrain.
But on the other - what are the grounds for an optimist to be so confident in success? If he can solve the issue in the dean's office - this is one thing. And if he is simply encouraging, does he really do good things with it? A friend believes him, calms ahead of time, and as a result, without taking the necessary action, he simply “flies out” like a champagne cork. So, having become acquainted with an optimist, one should make sure of the adequacy of his behavior, the conformity of his life stance to real possibilities and knowledge. If everything is at the level, then we can safely believe him, but if things do not agree with the words, it is better to be cautious.
Now for the optimist himself. Such a person is annoyed by uncertainty and despondency. If you want to start a dialogue, you should forget about the negative, pessimism, fatalism. The optimist is confident in his abilities and favors of fate. The same worldview he expects from the interlocutors. If it is different, such a person either tries to inculcate him, or simply stops communicating. When an optimist is not a casual acquaintance, but his own child, of course, communication cannot be stopped. About how to properly educate him, let's talk in the next section.
How to become an optimist
The education of this type of personality can begin from childhood, or even in adult years, if someone thinks about how to become an optimist. The older the person, the more difficult the task, but it is possible in any years. Just the severity of this characteristic may vary. If in youth "rose-colored glasses" are perceived normally, then common skepticism and realism are more associated with bald or gray hair. But faith in the best comes in handy at any age. So, an optimist can remain up to a great age. And if all his life he complements his faith with diligence and diligence, then there may be no reason to doubt the strength of optimism.
Nevertheless, it is better to bring up an optimist from early childhood. Just to explain to the child that in addition to belief in victory, it is also necessary to make an effort. This mechanism for achieving success is described in detail in the well-known book of the American writer. Napoleon Hill "Think and Grow Rich". According to the author’s firm conviction, unshakable faith in one’s own strength, multiplied by diligence and determination, will surely bring long-awaited success.
How to be an optimist? It is not enough to believe in success, it is also necessary to take concrete actions to meet their expectations. This is what should be taught to children, who must distinguish between fantasy and a specific plan of action.
The type of personality optimist is both a gift and a big responsibility. On the one hand, such people are always positive and charge those around them. On the other hand, without a rational view of the world, they sometimes ignore common sense, while leading other people in the wrong direction. So, bringing up or building relationships with them, you must always distinguish between confidence and arrogance, developing the skill of an adequate perception of the situation.
