What is defensive pessimism?

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? What type of optimism or pessimism do you practice? In this article we will talk about defensive pessimism, a mechanism that makes us put ourselves in the worst, containing our expectations to reduce the chances of suffering.

Is defensive pessimism really effective? How is it related to self-esteem? Are people with high self-esteem more self-confident and, therefore, tend to adopt a more optimistic style? As with many questions, there is no single and certain answer, and different authors have given very different answers. Don’t miss their answers!

Defensive pessimism: What is it?

Defensive pessimism is a psychological concept that refers to the action of protecting ourselves in a certain situation, previously putting ourselves in the worst scenario. Thus, if something goes wrong, we feel like we have “protected” ourselves from its negative consequences, although the reality is that we experience them just the same (badly).

People who adopt defensive pessimism put themselves in the worst position (they anticipate it) to avoid disappointment or disappointment in case they fail; It is effective for them to think that things will not go well (they do not place hope in the good), because that leads them to invest less energy.

In addition, they feel more prepared to face difficulties or problems (but they also feel less excited). On the other hand, optimistic people always expect the best and that is why it is easier for reality to fall short of their expectations.

But is defensive pessimism really useful or does it make us live halfway? Does it really protect us? About what? We are going to break down these issues throughout the article.

Relationship with self-esteem

How is defensive pessimism connected to self-esteem? What relationship do both concepts have? First of all, let’s say that, broadly speaking, Self-esteem is that consideration (or appreciation) that we have towards ourselves (do I feel satisfied with myself?). It has to do with how we treat ourselves, what we say to ourselves, how we take care of ourselves, etc. In turn, self-esteem is linked to self-concept, which would be the global evaluation of oneself (how do I describe myself?).

Some experts, such as psychologist Natalia García, believe that defensive pessimism is a mechanism that is usually carried out to a greater extent by people with low self-esteem. However, the reality is that all of us, regardless of our greater or lesser self-esteem, have at some point used defensive pessimism.

Low self-esteem?

What happens when people with low self-esteem use defensive pessimism? These people may abandon situations that they believe will lead to failure, in order to “protect” their self-concept (or self-esteem). So, Fearing that something bad will happen, they prevent anything from happening.

An example of someone with low self-esteem who uses defensive pessimism would be a person who doesn’t go to class, don’t do exams or assignments, etc., for fear of failing. So, His greatest motivation would be not to fail, and that is why when that possibility exists, he directly avoids the situation..

Often these people They make excuses for themselves to justify their actions and failures.. They don’t ask themselves the following: Won’t the failure be not having tried?

What does defensive pessimism protect us from?

What does defensive pessimism really protect us from? Those who use this mechanism, as well as its defenders, will argue that it protects against having a bad time, possible failures and, above all, disappointment.

It’s as if we played a soccer game and never shot at the goal; We would never “fail”, but we would never score any goals either. This metaphor speaks precisely of this, that life is full of situations that require taking action. If we do nothing, we may have the feeling that we suffer less, but at the same time we miss the opportunity to enjoy really.

So, in relation to the question: what does defensive pessimism protect us from? Perhaps a priori it seems that it protects us from disappointments, but the reality is that it is limiting us. Anyway, Using defensive pessimism when facing different life situations is just as legal as using optimism. or other mechanisms; Each person must find their own way of feeling and acting, one that is in harmony with their values ​​and how they understand life.

Who says we only have to live one way? The important thing is not to stop learning and to be flexible to change, if the situation requires it or if we feel so.

Defensive pessimism: can it be useful?

However, not all authors believe that defensive pessimism is a “bad” thing. Psychologists Julie Norem and Nancy Cantor (Wellesley College, Massachusetts, USA) defend this concept in their book The positive power of negative thinking. Other authors also address the concept, such as Luis Rojas Marcos in his book The force of optimism. For their part, Norem and Cantor believe that Defensive pessimism is effective and useful when facing difficulties.

According to the authors, someone who adopts defensive pessimism is better prepared for failure, since in their thinking that failure was already something almost certain (that is, “it already existed”). It may sound contradictory, but Thinking negatively can help these people invest less effort and energy in achieving a goal..

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