Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty
People have different outlooks on the world, and one of these can be divided as either optimistic or pessimistic. An optimistic individual will likely view the glass as half full; seeing any situation as good and/or hopeful. On the other hand, a pessimistic individual will view the glass as half empty; seeing situations as more bad than good.
Some researchers have developed a measure to assess individual differences in generalized optimism versus pessimism and the behavioral/health consequences of this personality variable. Known as The Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R, not to be confused with Lord of the Rings), the test is a 10-item measure of the construct, where 3 items measure optimism, 3 items pessimism, and 4 serve as fillers. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale, where 0 = ‘strongly disagree’ and 4= ‘strongly agree’.
Although most individuals generally have a good idea if they are more optimistic or pessimistic, this test can help with determining which variable an individual is more likely to have and its possible consequences. The LOT-R is useful as a research instrument to help gather data, but not so much for clinical applications. It is also important to note that the test considers the optimistic-pessimistic spectrum to be dimensional, meaning there are no cut-offs between the two constructs — individuals cannot fall at either extreme.
Generally, society as a whole encourages optimism as it is believed to yield more beneficial effects on psychological as well as physical well-being. However, one is not necessarily better than the other — they are simply two different strategies for coping with the complexities of this world. Being optimistic helps with moving forward pursuing goals and dreams, with less likeliness of giving up. Being pessimistic helps with reducing anxiety and performing better, and expecting the worst case scenario usually helps with coping with all kinds of outcomes. People choose whichever works best for them, in other words, different strokes for different folks.
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