|
Optimism is a mental attitude or world view. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass with water at the halfway point, where the optimist is said to see the glass as half full and the pessimist sees the glass as half empty. The term is originally derived from the Latin ''optimum'', meaning "best". Being optimistic, in the typical sense of the word, is defined as expecting the best possible outcome from any given situation. This is usually referred to in psychology as dispositional optimism. It thus reflects a belief that future conditions will unfold as optimal.〔http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/optimism〕 Theories of optimism include dispositional models, and models of explanatory style. Methods to measure optimism have been developed within both theoretical systems, such as various forms of the Life Orientation Test, for the original definition of optimism, or the Attributional Style Questionnaire designed to test optimism in terms of explanatory style. Variation in optimism and pessimism is somewhat heritable and reflects biological trait systems to some degree. It is also influenced by environmental factors, including family environment,〔 with some suggesting it can be learned. It has also been suggested that optimism could appear to be a hereditary trait because it is actually a manifestation of combined traits that are mostly heritable, like intelligence, temperament and alcoholism. Optimism may also be linked to health. ==Dispositional Optimism == Researchers operationalize the term differently depending on their research. As with any trait characteristic, there are several ways to evaluate optimism, such as various forms of the Life Orientation Test (LOT). These scales were designed by Scheier and Carver (1985) and consist of eight content items: Four optimistic items (e.g. "''In uncertain times, I usually expect the best''") and four pessimistic items (e.g. "''If something can go wrong for me, it will''").〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Optimism」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|