Pessimism from the Perspective of Systemic Approach

Abstract

Explanatory style has been considered as a cognitive factor present in personality traits in psychology. Two important dimensions are considered in explanatory style: optimism and pessimism. Optimism has been evaluated as positive side of mental health whereas pessimism has been evaluated as negative side of mental health. Thus, pessimism is an important topic which is studied by many scientific disciplines. Nowadays, the importance of systemic approach is increased. This approach is used by different disciplines such as as health, psychology, education and administration. Investigating of pessimism by means of systemic approach would provide us a comprehensive understanding of this subject. With these information in mind, in this article pessimism was reviewed from the perspective of systemic approach.

 

Keywords

• Pessimism, systemic approach

Sistem Yaklaşımı Açısından Kötümserlik

Öz

İnsanların olayları açıklama tarzları, psikolojide bireylerin kişilik özellikleri içerinde yer alan bir bilişsel faktör olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Bu konuda iki önemli açıklama tarzının olduğu belirtilmektedir: İyimserlik ve kötümserlik. Literatürde iyimserlik ruh sağlığının pozitif yanını temsil eden bir faktör olarak değerlendirilirken; kötümserlik patolojik yanı temsil eden bir faktör olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Bu bağlamda gerek psikiyatride gerekse psikolojide ele alınan önemli konulardan biri de kötümserliktir. Günümüz bilim dünyasında, sistemik yaklaşımın önemi gittikçe artmaktadır. Bu yaklaşım sağlık, psikoloji, eğitim ve yönetim gibi pek çok alandaki çalışmalara ışık tutmaktadır. Kötümserlik konusu-nun da sistemik bakış açısından incelenmesi kapsamlı bilgilerin ve bulguların ortaya konmasına olanak sağlayabilir. Bu bağlamda bu çalışmada kötümserlik konusu, sistemik bir çerçeveden incelenmiştir.

 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kötümserlik, sistem yaklaşımı

Kaynakça

1. Abramson LY, Seligman MEP, Teasdale JD (1978) Learned helplessness in people: critique and reformulation. J Abnorm Psychol, 87:49-74.
2. Allison PJ, Guichard C, Fung K, Gilain L (2003) Dispositional optimism predicts survival status 1 year after diagnosis in head and neck cancer patients. J Clin Oncol, 21:543-548.
3. Aslan SH, Alpaslan ZN, Gürkan SB, Aslan RO, Cenkseven F (1997) Üniversite öğrencilerinde sosyal anksiyete düzeyleri, aleksitimi ve stresle başa çıkma. Nöropsikiyatri Arşivi, 34:127-134.
4. Bandura A (1986) Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall.
5. Bennett KK, Elliott M (2005) Pessimistic explanatory style and cardiac health: what is the relation and the mechanism that links them? Basic Appl Soc Psych, 27:239-248.
6. Ben-Zur H (2003) Happy adolescents: The link between subjective well-being, internal resources, and parental factors. J Youth Adolesc, 32:67-79.
7. Brenes GA, Rapp SR, Rejeski W, Miller ME (2002) Do optimism and pessimism predict physical functioning? J Behav Med, 25:219- 231.
8. Carver CS, Scheier MF, Segerstrom SC (2010) Optimism. Clin Psychol Rev, 30: 879-889.

9. Chang EC, Farrehi AS (2001) Optimism/pessimism and information-processing styles: Can their influences be distinguished in predicting psychological adjustment. Pers Individ Diff, 31:555-562.
10. Cunningham EG, Brandon CM, Frydenberg E (2002) Enhancing coping resources in early adolescence through a school-based program teaching optimistic thinking skills. Anxiety Stress, and Coping, 15:369–381.
11. Donald N (2010) Systems thinking complexity theory and transnational management. Otago Management Graduate Review, 8:1- 12.
12. Finan P, Zautra A, Tennen H (2008) Daily dairies reveal influence of pessimism and anxiety on pain prediction patterns. Psychol Health, 23:551–568.
13. Friedman RM (2006) Enhancing the influence of psychologists on public policy: Will more of the same do it? Child Fam Policy Pract Rev, 2:22–26.
14. Fontaine KR, Jones LC (1997) Self-esteem and optimism, and postpartum depression. J Clin Psychol, 53:59-63.
15. Gurman AS, Kniskern DP (1981) Handbook of Family Therapy. New York, Brunner/Mazel Publishers.
16. Heine SJ, Lehman DR (1995) Cultural variation in unrealistic optimism: does the West feel more invulnerable than the East? J Pers Soc Psychol, 68:595-607.
17. Johnson JE (1996) Coping with radiation therapy: optimism and the effect of preparatory interventions. Res Nurs Health, 19:3-12.
18. Kaya M, Genç M, Kaya B, Pehlivan E (2007) Tıp fakültesi ve sağlık yüksekokulu öğrencilerinde depresif belirti yaygınlığı, stresle başa çıkma tarzları ve etkileyen faktörler. Turk Psikiyatri Derg, 18:137-146.
19. Kronstrom K, Salminen JK, Hietala J, Kajander J, Vahlberg T, Markkula J et al. (2011) Personality traits and recovery from major depressive disorder. Nord J Psychiatry, 65:52-57.
20. Lazarus RS, Folkman S (1984) Stress Appraisal and Coping. New York, Springer.
21. Lin EH, Peterson C (1990) Pessimistic explanatory style and response to illness. Behav Res Ther, 28:243-248.
22. Luger TM, Cotter KA, Sherman AM (2009) It’s all in how you view it: Pessimism, social relations, and life satisfaction in older adults with osteoarthritis. Aging Ment Health, 13:635-647.
23. Mahler HIM, Kulik JA (2000) Optimism, pessimism, and recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery: prediction of affect, pain, and functional status. Psychol Health Med, 534:7–358.
24. Markus HR, Kitayama S (1991) Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychol Rev, 98:224– 253.
25. Mendes WB, Blascovich J, Hunter S, Lickel B, Jost J (2007) Threatened by the unexpected: Challenge and threat during inter- ethnic interactions. J Pers Soc Psychol, 92:698-716.
26. Meyer J (2007) Imaging the serotonin transporter during major depressive disorder and antidepressant treatment. J Psychiatry Neurosci, 32:86-102.
27. Norem J, Cantor N (1986) Anticipatory and post hoc cushioning strategies: optimism and defensive pessimism in ‘‘risky’’ situations. Cognit Ther Res, 10:347–362.
28. Norem J, Illingsworth K (1993) Strategy-dependent effects of reflecting on self and tasks: Some implications of optimism and defensive pessimism. J Pers Soc Psychol, 65:822–835.
29. O’Donovan A, Lin J, Tillie J, Dhabhar F, Wolkowitz O, Blackburn E et al. (2009) Pessimism correlates with leukocyte telomere shortness and elevated interleukin-6 in post-menopausal women. Brain Behav Immun, 23:446-449.
30. Özden M (1999) Fizyoloji. Ankara, Songür Yayıncılık.
31. Patton WA, Bartrum DA, Creed PA (2004) Gender differences for optimism, self-esteem, expectations and goals in predicting career planning and exploration in adolescents. Int J Educ Vocat Guid, 4:193-209.
32. Peterson C (1988) Explanatory style as a risk factor for illness. Cognit Ther Res, 12:117-130.
33. Peterson C, Seligman MEP (1987) Explanatory style and illness. J Pers, 55:237-265.
34. Peterson C, Seligman MEP, Vaillant GE (1988) Pessimistic explanatory style is a risk factor for physical illness: a thirty-five year longitudinal study. J Pers Soc Psychol, 55:23-27.
35. Pinquart M, Fröhlich C, Silbereisen RK (2007) Optimism, pessimism, and change of psychological well-being in cancer patients. Psychol Health Med, 12:421-432.
36. Plomin R, Scheier MF, Bergeman CS, Pedersen NL, Nesselroade JR, Mc-Clearn GE (1992) Optimism, pessimism, and mental health: a twin/adoption analysis. Pers Individ Dif, 13:921-930.
37. Riskind JH, Sarampote CS, Mercier MA (1996) For every malady a sovereign cure: optimism training. J Cogn Psychother, 10:105- 117.
38. Seligman MEP, Schulman P, DeRubeis RJ, Hollon SD (1999) The prevention of depression and anxiety. Prev Treat, 2:1-24.
39. Seligman MEP, Schulman P, Tryon AM (2007) Group prevention of depression and anxiety symptoms. Behav Res Ther, 45:1111- 1126.
40. Scheier MF, Bridges MW (1995) Person variables and health: personality predispositions and acute psychological states as shared determinants for disease. Psychosom Med, 57:255-268.
41. Scheier M, Carver C (1993) On the power of positive thinking: the benefits of being optimistic. Curr Dir Psychol Sci, 2:26–30.
42. Scheier MF, Carver CS (1985) Optimism, coping, and health: assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychol, 4:219-247.
43. Scheier MF, Carver CS, Bridges MW (1994) Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self- esteem): a reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. J Pers Soc Psychol, 67:1063-1078.
44. Spencer SM, Norem JK (1996) Reflection and distraction: defensive pessimism, strategic optimism, and performance. Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 22:354-365.
45. Sweeny PD, Anderson K, Bailey S (1986) Attributional style in depression: a meta-analytic review. J Pers Soc Psychol, 50:974–991.
46. Szalma J (2002) Individual differences in the stress and workload of sustained attention. Proc Hum Fact Ergon Soc Annu Meet, 46:1002-1006.
47. Taylor SE, Brown JD (1988) Illusion and well-being: a social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychol Bull, 103:193- 210.
48. Tykocinski OE (2001) I never had a chance: using hindsight tactics to mitigate disappointments. Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 27:376– 382.
49. Wann DL, Grieve FG, Waddill PJ, Martin J (2008) Use of retroactive pessimism as a method of coping with identity threat: the impact of group identification. Group Processes Intergroup Relat, 11:439-450.
50. Weiner B (2000) Intrapersonal and interpersonal theories of motivation from an attributional perspective. Educ Psychol Rev, 12:1- 13.
51. Williams RD, Riels AG, Roper KA (1990) Optimism and distractibility in cardiovascular reactivity. Psychol Rec, 40:451-457.
52. Yeşilyaprak B (2003) Eğitimde Rehberlik Hizmetleri Gelişimsel Yaklaşım. Ankara, Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.