BOOK SUMMARY 134 Learned Optimism
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Summary written by: Brittnei Berrisford
"Our thoughts are not merely reactions
to events; they change what ensues."
- Learned Optimism, page 7
As we
know, life inflicts the same setbacks and tragedies on us all, but how we as
individuals weather these storms is wholly unique and independent from our
peers. In fact, it is likely that our tendency towards a positive or negative
reproach is innate, that we are born with either an optimistic or negative
outlook. This innate tendency, if left unattended, can affect the way we
perform and interact in all spheres of life, both professionally and
personally. In Learned Optimism, author Martin E. P. Seligman
compiled countless studies and comparative research summaries to present a
compelling and hopeful case for the opportunity to counteract your innate
tendencies, through learned and deliberate practices to form selective
approaches to life’s rollercoaster of events.
While
this piece is quite involved and wide reaching, readers will learn the
foundation of both optimistic and pessimistic outlooks and how to identify
their own explanatory style, the theory behind learned optimism and the need
for selective and situational application. Seligman presents readers with
various opportunities to assess their natural tendency through quizzes within
the book, providing opportunity for real time application of the theories and
suggestions presented.
The Golden Egg
Identifying your Explanatory Style
"Explanatory
style is the manner in which you habitually explain to yourself why events
happen. It is the great modulator of learned helplessness."- Learned
Optimism, page 15
When
faced with a calamity, Seligman explains that we process it in three ways. First
by accessing the longevity of the setback (permanence), second the scope of its
affects (pervasiveness) and third the level of personal responsibility you have
for the circumstance (personalization). The culmination of this three-step
process is your explanatory style, which ultimately equates to
your level of optimism or pessimism. A pessimist would see a setback as long
term, effecting everything they do and as all their fault, whereas an optimist
facing the same setback would see it as temporary, confined and caused by some
external factor, thus not their fault. The optimists create distance between
the situation and themselves, making it much easier to dust themselves off and
trudge forward. Unfortunately, the pessimists are more apt to falter
into learned helplessness, which Seligman defines as “the give up
reaction.”
Through
various studies, Seligman demonstrates the extensive research that linked
explanatory style to your aptitude for learned helplessness; the most
persuasive was the shock experiment. His team subjected three groups of dogs to
shocks. Group 1 was able to find the key to make the shocks stop, Group 2 had
no power to affect the shocks and Group 3 was a control group. The same groups
were then placed in an easily escapable pen, and subjected to the same
treatment, surprisingly enough Group 1 escaped, yet Group 2 made no effort to
escape the shocks, evidence of learned helplessness. While this study, Seligman
recognizes, would no longer pass ethical standards, it is easily applied to the
human variety. A person’s explanatory style and tendency towards or against
learned helplessness, if left unattended, has been proven to directly impact
the way a person moves through their life, the progression of their personal
and professional goals and ultimately the likelihood of depression.
Gem #1
The Balancing Act
"When
failure occurs, it is because either talent or desire is missing. But failure
also can occur when talent and desire are present in abundance but optimism is
missing."- Learned Optimism, page 13
Perhaps
the most valuable takeaway for the modern day professional is the application
of this newfound understanding of explanatory style and outlook tendencies to
one’s career path and role choice. Seligman has conducted various studies
related to hiring practices, finding indicators for success based on the
applicant’s optimistic scoring. This is most evident in sales based roles, a
career that is riddled with setbacks, hard walls and consistent competition.
Seligman found that “optimism was the key to sales success”. Testing for
optimism at the time of hiring, he evaluated the group’s success throughout
their first year on the job. Perhaps not surprising at all, those who scored
higher were more successful in their first year, and those who scored lowest had
vacated their position.
Resiliency
and perseverance defines an optimist; however, the reader also learns that
optimists deploy a level of distorted reality, to inventively move past the
obstacles and conjure up new alternatives. Optimists “have to dream things that
don’t yet exist, to explore boundaries beyond the company’s present reach”.
Seligman is quick to point out that those who don’t come by optimism naturally
also have value in the workplace by applying mild or “professional” pessimism.
“The company also needs its pessimists, the people who have an accurate
knowledge of present realities… their role is caution, their banner is the
yellow flag.”
While
Seligman makes a strong case for optimism, there is no denying that a balance
of tendencies applied in various spheres in life would provide the most
holistic outcome. “Like the successful company, we each have in us an executive
who balances the counsels of daring against the counsels of doom.”
Gem #2
Learned Optimism
"I
have found that pessimism is escapable… by learning a new set of cognitive
skills."- Learned Optimism, page 5
There
is a time and a place to utilize the spectrum of outlook tendencies; however,
those who find themselves consistently pessimistic likely also find themselves
with a higher propensity for anxiety and depression. Seligman and his
colleagues conducted a longitudinal study to determine whether depression is
caused by pessimism or simply correlated. This study assessed a group of
children for their outlook tendency and evaluated them over a four year period.
They found that “children who started out as pessimists were the ones most
likely, over the four years, to get depressed and stay depressed. Those
children who started out as optimists stayed non-depressed or, if they did get
depressed, they recovered rapidly.”
“The
good news is that the pessimists can learn the skills of optimism and
permanently improve the quality of their lives”. By learning to adjust your
patterns of processing, you are able to nip pessimism at the source and define
a new optimistic tendency. Seligman demonstrates we can do this by
incorporating the foundational theory of Cognitive Therapy and deployingdisputation and distraction when
and where necessary. Cognitive Therapy represents a permanent change to your
explanatory style, incorporating five steps.
1. Learn to identify negative thought patterns when you are
feeling your lowest.
2. Dispute those thoughts by suggesting evidence to the
contrary.
3. Re-attribute new explanations.
4. Distract yourself by reverting to an alternative thought
pattern, as simple as thinking of something else.
5. Develop habits around recognizing and questioning
depression causing reactions and squashing them before they manifest. Seligman
argues that disputation is more affective in the long run, “because
successfully disputed beliefs are less likely to recur when the same situation
presents itself again.”
This
hopeful and actionable reproach to pessimism in Learned Optimism is
inspiring. With the growing epidemic of depression and anxiety and the
propensity for negativity in our daily influences, it is imperative that we
harvest the skills and manifest the habits to deploy optimism in our every day
lives. Our personal sphere demands resiliency as we tackle life’s milestones
and relationship hurdles and our professional sphere demands perseverance and
commitment to finding a way to success. By recognizing the application of each
explanatory style and committing to awareness and self-improvement, Seligman
has given us the tools to live a happier, more productive life.
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