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Importance Of Defensive Pessimism

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Incorporating Defensive Pessimism
We live in an uncertain world. Just as we cannot always stay happy, in the same way we cannot always remain optimistic. Our very survival mechanism is geared to keep us pessimistic and fearful of the world we live in. Most of us resort to Life Insurance Schemes as we are we are pessimistic about our future and want to secure it Thus , if Defensive Pessimism is a part of life , then why not embrace it with open hands .
The following suggested steps could be followed to move towards Defensive Pessimism:
1. Preparing oneself for the Worst Case Scenario
Whenever faced with any dire situation, a person must always consider what worst can happen if everything goes wrong. It is then that a person realizes that life …show more content…

But, it is time that people realize the importance of Defensive Pessimism and try to incorporate it in their daily lives. Every person has a different way to respond to situations. It is very essential to differentiate between Dispositional and Defensive pessimism. Perceiving the Glass of Water as “Half Full” is dispositional Pessimism whereas perceiving it as “Almost Full” is defensive pessimism. When faced with a dilemma about whether the negative thoughts a person has fall into which categories of Pessimism, a list can be prepared listing out one’s negative thoughts. Then a division can be made between the two types of pessimism. If the list of dispositional pessimism is greater than defensive pessimism, then the person must understand that he/she is letting negative thoughts govern his/her …show more content…

Pessimists are required to anticipate the worst and prepare others for it.It has been proved that people who worry about their job performance and are anxious about their job security , their career growth perform much better than those who never worry about their jobs , their career.This anxiety acts as a motivator and helps individuals perform their best in their jobs. Studies have also shown that highly optimistic CEO’s take higher risks and many a time put their companies in jeopardy . Some scholars also believe that positive thinking contributed to the 2008 financial crisis in the United States.

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