PSYC 3690 Chapter Notes -Positive Illusions, Immunodeficiency, Cognitive Therapy

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3690
• Professor: Benjamin Gottlieb

Document Summary

Dispositional optimism - global expectations, relatively stable across time and context, that one will experience generally good as opposed to bad outcomes in life. Illusion of control - the perception of oneself as having more control over environmental occurrences than is actually the case. Positive illusions - perceptions of one s personal characteristics, one s degree of control over the environment, and a view of the future that are more positive than objective estimates suggest is realistic. Self-aggrandizement - the tendency to regard oneself in a more positive and less negative terms than is actually the case or than one regards to other people. Unrealistic optimism - the perception that the future will be better, especially for oneself, than is objectively probable. Positive illusions challenge traditional models of mental health. Psychological wisdom has established contact with reality as one of the hallmarks of the mentally healthy person.