Optimism and pessimism are complementary, but opposing, dispositions. In general, optimists consistently expect good outcomes and pessimists consistently expect bad outcomes. These variations in human behaviour have profound mental and physical implications. The aim of the present work is to provide an overview of the psychology of pessimism. It is composed of four sections - I: How are optimism and pessimism measured?, II: What is the relationship between optimism and pessimism?, III: What is the relationship between optimism-pessimism and health?, and IV: What are the biology and chemistry of optimism-pessimism? For various reasons, rigorous analysis of pessimism has been difficult. Nonetheless, recent advances, including the development of numerous psychological batteries, have allowed for structured, scientific investigation. Indeed, several studies have examined the medical implications and biological and chemical bases of pessimism. Nonetheless, the psychology of pessimism is imperfect and further study is needed.

Through the examination of cultural, biological and psychological factors, this volume illustrates a dynamic interplay between optimism and pessimism and enables readers to recognize the importance of balance in understanding their relative powers.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Glass half-full or half-empty? Do you look on the bright side or turn towards the dark? These are easy questions for most of us to answer, because our personality types are hard-wired into our brains. As pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox has discovered, our outlook on life reflects our primal inclination to seek pleasure or avoid danger -- inclinations that, in many people, are healthily balanced. But when our "fear brain" or "pleasure brain" is too strong, the results can be disastrous, as those of us suffering from debilitating shyness, addiction, depression, or anxiety know all too well. Luckily, anyone suffering from these afflictions has reason to hope. Stunning breakthroughs in neuroscience show that our brains are more malleable than we ever imagined. In Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, Fox describes a range of techniques -- from traditional cognitive behavioral therapy to innovative cognitive-retraining exercises -- that can actually alter our brains' circuitry, strengthening specific thought processes by exercising the neural systems that control them. The implications are enormous: lifelong pessimists can train themselves to think positively and find happiness, while pleasure-seekers inclined toward risky or destructive behavior can take control of their lives. Drawing on her own cutting-edge research, Fox shows how we can retrain our brains to brighten our lives and learn to flourish. With keen insights into how genes, life experiences and cognitive processes interleave together to make us who we are, Rainy Brain, SunnyBrain revolutionizes our basic concept of individuality. We learn that we can influence our own personalities, and that our lives are only as "sunny" or as "rainy" as we allow them to be.

Pessimism claims an impressive following--from Rousseau, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche, to Freud, Camus, and Foucault. Yet "pessimist" remains a term of abuse--an accusation of a bad attitude--or the diagnosis of an unhappy psychological state. Pessimism is thought of as an exclusively negative stance that inevitably leads to resignation or despair. Even when pessimism looks like utter truth, we are told that it makes the worst of a bad situation. Bad for the individual, worse for the species--who would actually counsel pessimism? Joshua Foa Dienstag does. In Pessimism, he challenges the received wisdom about pessimism, arguing that there is an unrecognized yet coherent and vibrant pessimistic philosophical tradition. More than that, he argues that pessimistic thought may provide a critically needed alternative to the increasingly untenable progressivist ideas that have dominated thinking about politics throughout the modern period. Laying out powerful grounds for pessimism's claim that progress is not an enduring feature of human history, Dienstag argues that political theory must begin from this predicament. He persuasively shows that pessimism has been--and can again be--an energizing and even liberating philosophy, an ethic of radical possibility and not just a criticism of faith. The goal--of both the pessimistic spirit and of this fascinating account of pessimism--is not to depress us, but to edify us about our condition and to fortify us for life in a disordered and disenchanted universe.

Volume 1, Models and Theories of The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences The Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences (EPID) is organized into four volumes that look at the many likenesses and differences between individuals. Each of these four volumes focuses on a major content area in the study of personality psychology and individuals' differences. The first volume, Models and Theories, surveys the significant classic and contemporary viewpoints, perspectives, models, and theoretical approaches to the study of personality and individuals' differences (PID). The second volume on Measurement and Assessment examines key classic and modern methods and techniques of assessment in the study of PID. Volume III, titled Personality Processes and Individuals Differences, covers the important traditional and current dimensions, constructs, and traits in the study of PID. The final volume discusses three major categories: clinical contributions, applied research, and cross-cultural considerations, and touches on topics such as culture and identity, multicultural identities, cross-cultural examinations of trait structures and personality processes, and more. Each volume contains approximately 100 entries on personality and individual differences written by a diverse international panel of leading psychologists Covers significant classic and contemporary personality psychology models and theories, measurement and assessment techniques, personality processes and individuals differences, and research Provides a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the field of personality psychology The Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences is an important resource for all psychology students and professionals engaging in the study and research of personality.

From the bestselling author of Authentic Happiness Known as the father of the science of positive psychology, Martin E.P. Seligman draws on more than twenty years of clinical research to demonstrate how optimism enhances the quality of life, and how anyone can learn to practice it. Offering many simple techniques, Dr. Seligman explains how to break an 'I give up' habit, develop a more constructive explanatory style for interpreting your behaviour, and experience the benefits of a more positive interior dialogue. These skills can help break up depression, boost your immune system, better develop your potential, and make you happier. With generous additional advice on how to encourage optimistic behaviour at school, at work and in children, Learned Optimism is both profound and practical, making it highly valuable for every phase of life.

Psychologists have long been aware that most people maintain an irrationally positive outlook on life—but why? Turns out, we might be hardwired that way. In this absorbing exploration, Tali Sharot—one of the most innovative neuroscientists at work today—demonstrates that optimism may be crucial to human existence. The Optimism Bias explores how the brain generates hope and what happens when it fails; how the brains of optimists and pessimists differ; why we are terrible at predicting what will make us happy; how emotions strengthen our ability to recollect; how anticipation and dread affect us; how our optimistic illusions affect our financial, professional, and emotional decisions; and more. Drawing on cutting-edge science, The Optimism Bias provides us with startling new insight into the workings of the brain and the major role that optimism plays in determining how we live our lives.