The Perils of Defensive Pessimism
In her book The Positive Power of Negative Thinking, Dr Julie Norem, clinical psychologist, argues that being an optimist can be harmful. She seems to think that optimism leads to the suppression of negative emotions, which we understand can lead to all sorts of physical and psychological illness. We know that men who express anger regularly and moderately, instead of holding it in then letting out in bursts, lower their chances for heart disease and stroke. She advocates a strategy called defensive pessimism, that focuses on negative outcomes and plans for them far in advance.
Surprisingly, this strategy seems to lead to some success for those who adopt it. Students who worked with both defensive pessimism and garden variety optimism scored better than the mean on a variety of exams in a study conducted by psychologist Lawrence Sanna. While this method of facing anxiety about the future may be functional, I have to question whether it is optimal.
We know that much of what we experience in our lives is a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. By focusing on negative outcomes, and expecting the worst, I believe we invite those things into our lives like a magnet. Whether or not you believe in the Law of Attraction and positive vibrations, at the very least we know that the subconscious mind can have a profound effect on our actions and results. By feeding worst case scenarios to the subconscious, defensive pessimists prime themselves to have negative experiences, and often end up with exactly what they expect.
Even thought these “defensive pessimists” seem to do reasonably well in performance measurements, none of the studies I have seen have measured quality of life. I know that when I am mired in anxiety and fear of the future, which is exactly what defensive pessimism feeds off of, my enjoyment of life is severely diminished. Medical studies have shown that pessimists suffer from more physical illnesses, take longer to recover from physical trauma, and take longer to rebound from psychological stress. This approach to life seems give the pessimist a coping mechanism to handle overwhelming anxiety, but leaves them more vulnerable in other important areas.
By adopting defensive pessimism, those who struggle with fear and anxiety are also buying into a philosophy that makes them a victim of their own minds. This adaptation is based on the idea that individuals are pre-programmed for a certain personality type, and are not able to change. It doesn’t take into account other psychological factors that can effect attitude, and it ignores the ability of people to choose to change. By choosing this victim mentality, pessimists can abdicate personal responsibility for their actions and outcomes, and claim that their “inherent pessimism” is to blame for any negative circumstances.
In Defense of Optimism
True optimism is not a Pollyanna-ish outlook on life. It doesn’t ignore the possible negative outcomes. Optimism refuses to let the negative possibilities overshadow the positive possibilities. Optimism recognizes and accepts that failure will occur, but also recognizes that failure isn’t the end of the world. Optimism is what allows incredibly successful people to take risks and revel in a positive vision of the future. I have not met a successful or wealthy person yet who advocated any flavor of pessimism as a coping mechanism.
True optimists are realists who understand that they are responsible for creating their own reality. They understand and accept that responsibility and use it to create a life of purpose and meaning. True optimists are the ones who push society forward in science, business and the arts, by not accepting failure as the norm, and by not letting fear limit their vision.
Defensive pessimism is a crutch to help those who don’t see any other way out. They have lived with negativity for so long, that they have forgotten that there is another way. Instead of letting the pessimists walk around on crutches, I think we should be helping them get the broken leg mended.
