Optimism

Optimism (from Latin: optimum, "the best" ) is a view of life in the world or an object is viewed from the top side; he generally refers to a serene, confident and life-affirming attitude and a confident, determined by positive expectations in the face of a thing regarding the future. It also refers to a philosophical view that the world is the best of all possible worlds, everything in the world is good and reasonable or evolved for the better. The opposite view is the pessimism.

• 2.1 Martin Seligman

Philosophy

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

A metaphysical justification of optimism took Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in his " theodicy ". He postulated that God had only created in His omnipotence and goodness, " the best of all possible worlds ", even if you can not call it good. The word " optimism " was not coined until later in relation to Leibniz. This form of optimism could not agree, the polemic in the wake of the earthquake of Lisbon (November 1, 1755) against Leibniz, Voltaire, among others, in the form of the novel Candide, or Optimism. The term optimism does not come from Leibniz himself, but was used by Jesuit theologians, to ridicule the " be a theologian aufspielenden mathematician ". This pejorative coloring has been lost with time.

The German Idealism

The German idealism took in 1800 the metaphysical- optimistic thoughts again.

Albert Schweitzer

Basic dealt with the demand for creation of a optimistic- ethical world has Albert Schweitzer, including in his work decay and reconstruction of culture. Albert Schweitzer founded on the foundation of rationalism the need for an optimistic- ethical cultural worldview. The optimism delivers to Schweitzer " the confidence that the world history has somehow a spiritual and meaningful goal, and that the improvement in conditions in the world and the society promotes the spiritual and moral perfection of the individual. From the ethical comes the ability to raise the necessary to the workings of the world and society appropriate attitudes and to have all the achievements on the spiritual and moral perfection of the individual, which is the ultimate goal of culture, work together. " ( Albert Schweitzer, decay and Restoration of Culture, p 72 )

Ernst Bloch

Mid-20th century laid Ernst Bloch - " despite all disappointments " - a Marxist theory of optimism before: The Principle of Hope. Bloch warned of untested optimism and instead spoke of an " optimism with crape ."

Psychology

Whether an optimistic view of the circumstances of life depends or is a stable personality trait, is still unclear. The majority of people is not only optimistic but unrealistic optimistic: they expect to have more positive and fewer negative experiences than the average. Optimists may cope better with stress and are healthier than pessimists, unless they are so optimistic that they are incautiously usually.

Martin Seligman

Martin Seligman examined the question of what distinguishes optimists from pessimists. He found that they make other attributions of the causes, namely that so stable optimists see the cause for pleasant events, achievements in themselves, however, ascribe to aversive events temporary situational causes. For pessimists, it is vice versa.

• Durability. Pessimists think the causes of unpleasant events, in which they advised for durable and lasting. Optimists, however, keep the causes of temporary and transient.
• Scope. Pessimists transfer failures, they need to take in a certain area, in general, while optimists other areas of their lives see unaffected by a failure in a particular area.
• Personalization. Pessimists blame themselves for failure, unpleasant events, etc., and therefore more likely to have low self -esteem. Optimists look for the reasons for failure, however, closer to other people or the circumstances and have a strong self-esteem.

According to Seligman, an optimistic outlook on life is to learn.

Brain Research

Magnetic resonance studies showed that the amygdala and the cingulate gyrus are also at optimists to three brain regions that store autobiographical knowledge about average active. When depression a disorder of neural pathways between the two found in the fMRI areas is suspected.