Defensive pessimism: what is it, characteristics, and advantages and disadvantages

When someone is going to face a complicated activity in the near future (p. g., the examination of an opposition, a sports competition) or a situation that is compromised (for example, giving a speech in public) can have an optimistic vision or, on the contrary, from pessimism defensive.

When you have a vision from defensive pessimism about a future event, the person tends to think that something is going to go wrong when that dreaded moment comes, so you may experience anticipatory anxiety and negative expectations when respect.

In this article we will see in more detail what the concept of defensive pessimism consists of., what are usually the consequences of having a pessimistic view and also how it influences people's self-esteem.

• Related article: "Cognition: definition, main processes and operation"

What is defensive pessimism?

When we use the concept of defensive pessimism in the field of psychology we mean the mechanism of action used by people on those occasions in which they seek to protect themselves from a certain future situation

, in such a way that they put themselves in the worst case scenario and thus, in the event that it is fulfilled, or things do not work out as well as wanted, the person feels that she had previously prepared herself to assume that result negative.

There are people who face certain situations that they consider complicated or compromised in some way (for example, a sports competition, an exam, a job interview, etc.) from a pessimism defensive to avoid being disappointed and disappointed if everything did not turn out as desiredIn such a way that they start from the idea that things will not go well for them in a situation that requires a certain effort, so they commit less than necessary.

When a person uses the mechanism of being pessimistic about a future event so as not to take disappointments, as we have said, you usually try less than you should to get them right things. Then, most likely, your prediction will come true that the situation you are facing will not go well. he has to face, so that what in psychology is called a self-fulfilling prophecy would be fulfilled negative. This fact can feed back your pessimism in the face of future similar situations.

It is common for a person who frequently hides himself in defensive pessimism also use excuses to justify yourself for not trying or not having taken the time necessary for that dreaded situation to go well, because in your mind you could feel a kind of cognitive dissonance due to the fact that what he does does not fit in with the objectives that he had set for himself at some time behind.

Let's take an example below to better understand what the concept of defensive pessimism consists of, and also the excuses that the person makes to break with that cognitive dissonance that has formed in their mind.

Imagine the case of a student who is preparing for a very important exam, such as that of an opposition to get a place in a public position. When you start to prepare it, you usually have an optimistic outlook and good intentions; However, as time goes by, defensive pessimism may surface, so that they will sprout in your mind thoughts that will tell him that it is very difficult for him to approve, that no one takes the opposition out the first time and many more from the style.

Then, it is likely that little by little he will make an effort less and less, at the same time that his defensive pessimism will increase. So when he takes the exam, if he does not get a place, he will feel that his pessimistic thoughts were true and, when a cognitive dissonance arises in his mind because deep down he knows that It has not made an effort as it should to get that place, it will look for any argument that justifies its decrease in performance coco that was very difficult, that it was not worth wasting time, etc.

• You may be interested in: "Cognitive schemas: how is our thinking organized?"

Relationship of defensive pessimism with self-esteem

In most cases, defensive pessimism is often closely related to low levels of self-esteem.

Therefore, people who choose to focus on the negative and pessimistic side of some future event have a tendency to underestimate themselves, so they go to the point of not facing a series of situations that require a certain degree of effort and courage for fear of ending failing. This causes the person to be at a disadvantage compared to others more optimistic.

• Related article: "Do you really know what self-esteem is?"

Defensive pessimism and optimism

The opposite pole of having a vision from defensive pessimism in the face of a situation or near objective, would be to have an optimistic vision. Although it should be noted that people are not usually completely at one extreme or the other and that these perspectives can change throughout life depending on the experiences lived and the effort that the person.

Likewise, it can also happen that the same person has an optimistic vision in certain areas (for example, in sports) and pessimistic in others (for example, in academia).

Unlike pessimistic people, optimists have a tendency to see things from a more global perspective, so that they always have in mind the virtues that they possess and that will allow them to achieve their objectives and they are also aware that they have certain limitations, and it may be the case that they do not achieve that goal towards which they are going directed; However, they do not throw in the towel and try to focus only on what is the only thing they can control, their day-to-day actions.

For example, in a situation in which an optimistic person is preparing for the examination of an opposition, he will try not to lose sight of his objective and will try to keep his vision positive because he is aware that he has possibilities, even knowing that there is also a good chance of not getting Plaza. Nevertheless, He prefers to choose to think that he can get the job and that what can lead to it is to have an optimistic vision and focus on working day by day, while continuing to advance on the agenda.

• Related article: "False optimism: what is it and what are its negative effects?"

The useful side of defensive pessimism

Both a completely optimistic vision and a vision from a defensive pessimism in most cases could be harmful for people.

An excess of optimism could cause the person to be overconfident, so that he feels very little pressure and tries less than he should, so the results could be worse than expected, being a great disappointment.

On the contrary, having mostly a pessimistic vision would cause a low motivation in the face of any challenge to which the person had to face it in his life, so that he would not get to try hard enough and, therefore, the most common is that he would fail.

However, in fair measure, although there is a lot of disparity around this, it should be noted that there are investigations in this regard that found that a certain degree of defensive pessimism it can be a personal protection mechanism against suffering any disappointment and, by being prepared in advance for possible future failure, the person can also anticipate in preparing to face failure and looking for a way to cope with that situation.

Seen this way, a defensive pessimist tends to be prepared for the worst outcome, and may even have experienced higher levels of anxiety prior to the event than when the failure that had been imagined.

Likewise, a vision from defensive pessimism, by allowing the person to anticipate a possible failure, so that the tension that it can generate would cause the person to be alert in everything moment, would encourage him to use all kinds of strategies in order to avoid this possible failure and to devise some alternative plan to which he could choose when things do not turn out in a positive way. We could call this adaptive defensive pessimism.