PESSIMISM: WHAT IS IT AND WHY (SOMETIMES) CAN IT COME IN HANDY?

There are individuals who spend most of their lives irremediably marked by pessimism and are always inclined to see the negative side of things. But have you ever wondered how much this pessimistic being affects interpersonal relationships, in the workplace, and in everyday life in general? Before we get to the bottom of the question, we suggest the video below to learn some self-esteem exercises.

What is meant by pessimism?

Pessimism is a condition in which the subject, due to a series of painful events, begins to see only the negative aspects of reality, convincing himself that anything will turn for the worse. It can be a natural status, when it is said to be "pessimists by nature ", or acquired, when life experiences have negatively affected us. Pessimism is opposed to optimism, which is exactly the opposite: in this case the subject is able to consider only the best sides of reality, convincing himself of a favorable development of events.

Traits of a pessimist

Hardly anyone admits to being pessimistic, rather it is better to speak of healthy realism. But after reading this article, we are sure that you will no longer have any kind of problem and your pessimistic side will have its revenge. The famous glass half full or half empty makes no sense to exist, because those who are pessimists often do not even see the glass.

Here are the characteristics of a pessimist. Which one reflects you the most?

Pain and suffering characterize your life, while the few daily joys are destined to run out quickly.
Looking at the lives of others, everything seems like roses and flowers, while in yours darkness and darkness prevail. The pessimist sees "the" grass of the neighbor always better than his ".
When something good happens, the pessimist is incredulous.
If in a period things are going better than usual, you keep repeating yourself: it is only temporary and everything will change from one moment to the next.
You can not relate to an optimist especially when they do nothing but list all the wonderful events that have happened to him.
When it comes to giving advice to someone, you can be objective and evaluate all aspects without being overwhelmed by excessive enthusiasm.

The pessimism at the basis of realism

Those who are pessimists very often conceal a realistic soul and to avoid deluding themselves in a naive way they prefer to look at the reality of things. Instead, what a pessimist is reproached for is not being objective, but let's see it from another point of view. A sentence from Gil Stern reads: "Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the plane and the pessimist the parachute. " This is why pessimism is immediately seen in a different light, as a balance of an unwary optimism and, if you like, fatal.

If we think of a "company whose executives are extremely optimistic, failure would be inevitable. This is why optimists must be balanced against pessimists and vice versa. In general, executives should be able to think big and be open-minded, harnessing realism when it is a question of rejecting projects that already prove to be unsuccessful at the outset, perhaps proposed by figures who have been overwhelmed by optimism.

Having too much caution and fear of daring is also not good: in this case, every possibility of innovation and development would lose out. In short, the best results are obtained when collaborating is a group in which pessimism and optimism are balanced, sublimating themselves into realism.

C "it must also be said that leaving the company context for a moment and referring to classic situations of everyday life, optimism is often unfounded. An example: we know we are failing but we persist in persevering in a given situation, continuing to see it in the positive when it is not. Being determined is certainly a virtue, but it depends on the contexts: it is often the change of direction, obtained with a considerable effort, that makes us see the realism of things.

Pessimism: what are the benefits?

As we said at the beginning of this article, it will seem strange but pessimism can bring benefits. This explains one of the reasons why the evolution of the human species has not eliminated pessimism but has entrusted it with the role of correcting the wrong behavior that we implement when we are too optimistic.

Some studies have shown that pessimistic people see reality for what it is, while optimists tend to distort it of their own accord, adapting it to their own needs. We do not want to get the message across that happiness and truth cannot coexist, on the contrary. Excessive thoughtfulness by pessimists helps to have a more accurate view of their abilities, which in the long run turns into wisdom.

The world is full of pessimists and if you too reflect yourself in all the characteristics we have stated so far, you could be part of the group. Faced with many situations that we believe we can control, the optimist already sees them as fully resolved, while the pessimist, in order not to delude himself, will try to make an objective judgment as much as possible, ending up really seeing things as they are. laurels seeing a better reality than it is, somehow risks being satisfied. It is no coincidence that pessimism, starting from a reality that is not liked, stimulates the individual to change which can be the key to a turning point.

To make a brief summary: being pessimistic helps us to be more objective and impartial, on the contrary, letting ourselves be overwhelmed by an overwhelming optimism makes us distort reality according to our needs. On the one hand there will be the pessimist who will evaluate the situations in the same way, on the other the optimist, who in front of a negative event will think that it is not his fault and that he will soon overcome everything.
But in what has just been described there is a great clarification to make: the optimist in front of a positive event will think that the merit is all his own and that that situation will last for a long time and will help him in other moments.

We do not want to get across the message that pessimism is better than optimism, we are simply inviting the reader to an introspective reflection, bringing out some aspects of the pessimists that you may never have thought of. Those who succeed in the arduous task of balancing optimism and pessimism in his own life, he will be able to say that he has won!

Pessimism in philosophy

In the philosophical field there are not a few authors who have become true symbols of pessimism. One of the first differences to point out is that between "empirical pessimism", which concerns the earthly world seen negatively and as opposed to the afterlife seen positively; And "metaphysical pessimism " when this negative view extends to the reality of the universe. Who talked about it?

Schopenhauer

For Schopenhauer, man is led to desire what he does not have in order to fill a lack. But it is precisely in this moment that pain occurs, which can only be avoided by detaching oneself from the materiality of things.

Leopards

Giacomo Leopardi sees in human unhappiness a law of nature from which it is impossible to escape: this is the origin of his thought according to which "do or not do, hope or despair are equally useless and in vain. "

Rousseau

For J.J. Rousseau human happiness exists, but it is constantly hindered by society: it is the latter that has created an inequality between individuals, making them unhappy and vicious.

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