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Learned Optimism

Seligman, M. E. P. (1990). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. New York: Simon & Schuster.

In this book, Seligman (1990) argues that one of the most significant findings from the field of psychology is that people can choose the way they think: a person can choose to think pessimistically or optimistically. Optimistic and pessimistic ways of thinking can become habits and contribute to physical and mental health.

Seligman uses the term 'explanatory style'. A person's explanatory style is his or her usual way of explaining events. When considering the causes of events, a person's explanatory style can be:

• permanent (the causes of events are always there) or temporary (the causes are transient)
• pervasive (the causes of events apply to all aspects of one's life) or specific (the causes apply to only one part of life)
• internal (the cause of events is oneself) or external (the cause of events is other people or circumstances).

A pessimistic explanatory style that is permanent, pervasive and internal may lead to learned helplessness, which, Seligman argues, may evolve into non-clinical depression. Such depression, he argues, is nothing more than a habit of explaining things to oneself in a manner that leaves no room for personal control or action - that is, learned helplessness.

Importantly, Seligman argues that habits of optimistic and pessimistic thinking (especially the latter) can be changed by becoming more in tune with the effects of pessimistic self-talk. Flexible optimism is the goal.

Further reading can be found at Attributing the Cause of Events