If a person attributes responsibility to themself, then the control is internal. Internal/external characteristics refer to the source of control and responsibility for a particular event. If the cause of the event can be considered long lasting, then it would be stable.Īn example of a stable explanation is, “This is just the way that it happens” whereas an unstable explanation is, “This happened because of these specific circumstances.” Internal/external If the cause of the event is short lived, then it is unstable. Stable/unstable characteristics refer to how long the cause of the event will last. In contrast, if the event’s cause is far reaching and can affect other domains of our lives, it would be considered global.Īn example of a global characteristic would be, “I will never live this down.” In contrast, an example of a local characteristic is, “This is a temporary moment of discomfort, and then I will move on.” Stable/unstable If the cause of a particular event is limited only to that one instance, it is characterized as local. Local/global characteristics refer to how far reaching the cause and consequences of a situation are. Let’s go through these characteristics in more detail. In contrast, an optimistic style is characterized as using local, unstable, and external explanations for negative events (Peterson & Buchanan, 1995). Definitions of characteristics of explanatory styleĪ pessimistic style is one that uses global, stable, and internal explanations for negative events. Typically, two explanatory styles are proposed: pessimistic and optimistic. We tend to rely on the same type of explanatory style to explain the occurrence of uncontrollable events in our lives. Specifically, explanatory styles refer to how we explain the causes of particular events in other words, why did this event happen to us? Our explanatory styles tend to be stable. What is an ‘explanatory style?’Īn explanatory style describes how we make sense of adverse events that happen to us (Peterson & Seligman, 1987). What Is the Optimistic Explanatory Style?īefore we can discuss the exact details of an optimistic explanatory style, a good place to begin is by first explaining what explanatory style is. Fostering an Optimistic Explanatory Style: 5 Tips.What Is the Optimistic Explanatory Style?.These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees. In this post, we’re going to look at the optimistic explanatory style, and we’ll learn more about the benefits and how to foster it.īefore you continue, we thought you might like to download three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. An explanatory style is the default explanation that we usually gravitate to when trying to understand why something happened. However, what helps us make sense of that outcome and continue to try again is our explanatory style. We will all experience negative events and outcomes at many stages in our lives. If you answered yes to any of these questions, how did you cope with that outcome? What type of thoughts did you have about that issue? Or you trained hard for that marathon but didn’t make the cut-off time? Or maybe you spotted a typo in your presentation?ĭid you not make it to the grocery store in time?
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