Posted by Bob on September 27, 1999, at 17:13:41
In reply to Re: Normal is Sick?, posted by Adam on September 27, 1999, at 15:54:38
You did hit one big nail right on the head ... it's not theory -- there are studies (sorry, can't cite them right now and no access to PsychINFO doesn't help =^( ) that basically illustrate that depressed people have a more accurate assessment of the status quo than optimists. The thing is, we act upon our perception of reality, not some objective account of reality. Belief is more important that reality, if you want to account for why we do what we do. Those optimists who succeed, tho, aren't the ones who are all blue-sky and sunshine up the butt -- they're the ones looking just over the horizon. Thus, they take reasonable risks within their grasp, and they get to look a little bit further the next time. They put themselves in a place where they have reached an optimal sense of challenge, and that's one of the most motivating forces people can feel.
Cheers,
Bob
poster:Bob
thread:12034
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990914/msgs/12140.html