Pessimism vs optimism and ASD

Trainspotter said:

And of course, Earth had been settled by a bunch of telephone sanitisers and hairdressers at the beginning of civilisation who interbred with the early ape creatures and from whom we are all related.

It explains a lot!

Well, that bit might account for the proliferation of the cell phone....

In the Hitchikers guide to the galaxy, the question to the ultimate answer was "What is 7x8?"  And the ultimate answer was 42.

My understanding of this was that we had got everything wrong from the start.  And of course, Earth had been settled by a bunch of telephone sanitisers and hairdressers at the beginning of civilisation who interbred with the early ape creatures and from whom we are all related.

It explains a lot!

Also, on a tangent, Lewis Carrol in Alice in Wonderland tells us that words mean exactly what we want them to mean.  And he was a master of the nonsense rhyme which made complete sense!

What if I were to say that no situation is good or bad but only one's perception of it?

This would mean that the universe is actually neutral and it is us that impose value judgements on it.

Does 2 + 2 really equal 4 or is it some internal patterning that our brain performs in the pursuit of navigating 'reality?'

Optimism is more than seeing life as “half full.” It’s a cognitive style that realistically attributes your successes to factors that you can control. For example, you are optimistic when you perform well on an exam. You believe you were able to do this because you studied hard and put forward your best effort.

The converse is true for attributions about failure. An optimist does not say, “I’m no good at reading people.” An optimist would say, “I can learn how to understand others’ facial expressions.” This idea is positive, but it’s more than that. It’s specific, skill-oriented, and leaves the door open for change.

This is not “Pollyanna” thinking that somehow everything will turn out okay; this is a filter for interpreting life’s events that empowers the individual with ASD to take actions that have a positive outcome.

Furthermore, optimism is not just a personality trait that is either absent or present. People can learn to counteract their pessimistic thoughts with optimistic ones.

A good bit of cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the premise that “unhelpful” thoughts (like pessimism) can be restructured to promote well-being. I have discovered that this is a positive character trait that takes a lot of time and practice to develop.

My friend made a list of “positive mantras” that she refers to when she begins to have pessimistic thoughts about the future, but she still needs reminders to review her list; it is far from automatic for her to think in this new way.

Researchers have found support for several character traits that enable people to experience greater well-being, even in the midst of difficult circumstances (Snyder and Lopez 2002).

These include courage, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy. I believe these traits are of paramount importance for individuals with ASD as they must cope with the day-to-day difficulties that their neurological differences present. Most of the parents with whom I work want, above all else, for their children to be happy, to feel content, to have a “good life.”

Positive character traits contribute to their quality of life far more than attempts to extinguish maladaptive behaviors. Challenging behaviors shouldn’t be left unchecked any more than depression should go untreated.

However, I am fully convinced that we often get “the cart before the horse” by trying to get rid of the deficits without developing these character strengths.

Let me give you an analogy. My husband is an avid white-water kayaker. He enjoys the thrill of Class 5 white water, and every time he goes on the river, there is some chance he could drown.

He assures me that he knows how to take care of himself because, when kayaking, your boat always goes in the direction you are looking. If there is a hazard to avoid, the cardinal rule is not to look at the hazard, but to look at the safe spot where you are aiming. If you do this you will arrive safely at your destination.

I believe families and individuals with ASD can arrive at their desired destinations—happiness, contentment, and well-being—by looking toward these positive character traits and intentionally developing them, which at the same time will also decrease challenging behaviors, improve relationships, and result in greater participation in the community.

Thanks

Maria.K (i suffer from ASD)

(LINK REMOVED BY MODERATOR)

The optmist says that every cloud has a silver lining.

The pessimist says that every silver lining has a cloud.

The realist looks out of the window and sees that it's raining.

lostmyway said:

To be blindly optimistic is foolish, of course, but I suppose there are positives invloved in trying to look on the bright side because if one is too negative about a situation then one may not think it's worth trying this or that approach, when doing so might prove to be of benefit.

The thing is, we can never be entirely certain of the outcome of a set of circumstances and I guess being optimistic allows for a propitious possibility that may have been quite unpredictable.

There is a philosophical theory based on quantum mechanics which could be argued in favour of optimism. This is the 'Many Worlds' interpretation of quantum mechanics which holds that at every moment reality splits and branches into endless possible 'realities'. So, for example, if I decided to go shopping today instead of staying home, then although to me, it seemed I just went shopping and nothing else happened, actually staying home and and going shopping both happened. The idea is that for every viable arrangement of quantum objects (the bits that make up atoms) there are reflected many versions of 'reality' and that for an observer, such as a human being, only one of these is experienced. This is based on the fact that tiny sub-atomic particles can exist in a 'superposition' state or, if you like, at many places at once, and that by 'observing just one of these states what you do is become part of that particular state among counteless others that exist at the same time that you cannot observe and become cut off from.

So, the point I am making is that by consciously choosing a particular course of action we can alter our future reality, for good or worse, so nothing is pre-determined and, therefore, we can never be totally sure of the future.

I've heard it said that this is how quantum computers work. Each scenario is being tested in a separate alternate reality...which is how they get to do the 'check everything at once' thing.

To be blindly optimistic is foolish, of course, but I suppose there are positives invloved in trying to look on the bright side because if one is too negative about a situation then one may not think it's worth trying this or that approach, when doing so might prove to be of benefit.

The thing is, we can never be entirely certain of the outcome of a set of circumstances and I guess being optimistic allows for a propitious possibility that may have been quite unpredictable.

There is a philosophical theory based on quantum mechanics which could be argued in favour of optimism. This is the 'Many Worlds' interpretation of quantum mechanics which holds that at every moment reality splits and branches into endless possible 'realities'. So, for example, if I decided to go shopping today instead of staying home, then although to me, it seemed I just went shopping and nothing else happened, actually staying home and and going shopping both happened. The idea is that for every viable arrangement of quantum objects (the bits that make up atoms) there are reflected many versions of 'reality' and that for an observer, such as a human being, only one of these is experienced. This is based on the fact that tiny sub-atomic particles can exist in a 'superposition' state or, if you like, at many places at once, and that by 'observing just one of these states what you do is become part of that particular state among counteless others that exist at the same time that you cannot observe and become cut off from.

So, the point I am making is that by consciously choosing a particular course of action we can alter our future reality, for good or worse, so nothing is pre-determined and, therefore, we can never be totally sure of the future.

I think it really comes down to belief.

Optimists choose to believe that a situation is going to work out well even if, objectively, it's quite unlikely. I suppose religion serves this purpose in providing a deity that people can believe in that is going to look after them.

This kind of mindset tends to go against the grain with Aspies since they can very analytical and fact-based and their tendency to think in black and white makes them 'down to earth' and practical. Maybe this is why Aspies can be rather pessimistic at times instead of thinking outside of the box and looking at things differently.

NAS20054 said:

One focuses ones attention on the cons, the disadvantages, the bad side of a situation like on the fact that half the glass contents are missing and judging this as bad as a deficiency. And perhaps feeling bad about it.

One focuses ones attention on the pros, the advantages, the good side of a situation like on the fact that half the glass has contents  and judging this as good as a benefit.

And perhaps feeling good about it.

So a pessimistic and negative approach to life can make one feel constantly miserable, but the habit can be broken, and one can choose to pay attention to the flip side of the coin.

I have seen so many 'optimists' find that the result of their optimism not as they were hoping and resulting in them going into depression. 

pessimists being pleasantly surprised.  Whatever the result for a pessimist it is a win situation!

I have never felt down as a result of my pessimism, just smug when I am proved right!

NAS20054 said:

One focuses ones attention on the cons, the disadvantages, the bad side of a situation like on the fact that half the glass contents are missing and judging this as bad as a deficiency. And perhaps feeling bad about it.

One focuses ones attention on the pros, the advantages, the good side of a situation like on the fact that half the glass has contents  and judging this as good as a benefit.

And perhaps feeling good about it.

So a pessimistic and negative approach to life can make one feel constantly miserable, but the habit can be broken, and one can choose to pay attention to the flip side of the coin.

I have seen so many 'optimists' find that the result of their optimism not as they were hoping and resulting in them going into depression. 

pessimists being pleasantly surprised.  Whatever the result for a pessimist it is a win situation!

I have never felt down as a result of my pessimism, just smug when I am proved right!

All this seems to show that it is not a given situation that is good or bad but how it is managed.

It seems hard to imagine what it's like to be without modern conveniences such as vacuum cleaners, fridges, washing machines and the like, yet not so long ago many people did not enjoy the benefits of these things but, nevertheless, got on happily enough with their lives because they had to accept the way things were.

When I was a kid I remember playing tennis in the road using imagination to create a 'net' and a 'court'. The same thing with football: all you did was use some coats for 'goalposts and got on with it. In a way, modern devices have deprived kids and adults alike of having to use their imagination in a creative way because it's all done for them and I sometimes wonder whether this has led to a dissatisfaction with life because we have been given everything and not had to 'make do' and 'pretend' which can be as enjoyable and satisfying as being provided with every convenience.

This might feed into the discussion about optimism/pessimism in that we expect other people to provide our needs instead of having to provide them ourselves and tend to become a bit defeatist and pessimistic about things when we find we are on our own and have to 'do it ourselves'.