Автор работы: Пользователь скрыл имя, 01 Июля 2013 в 02:34, реферат
Definition of the term is the best way to start the process of the critical thinking about the topic. My topic is the influence of the positive illusion to the healthy behaviour. I will introduce the definition which will help me to develop my ideas in next few pages. Positive illusions are unrealistically favorable attitudes that people have towards themselves or to people that are close to them. Positive illusions are a form of self-deception or self-enhancement that feel good, maintain self-esteem or stave off discomfort at least in the short term. There are three broad kinds: inflated assessment of one's own abilities, unrealistic optimism about the future and an illusion of control (The term originates in a 1988 paper by Taylor and Brown). This topic became very interesting for me during my researching of the information for it.
Definition of the term is the best way to start the process of the critical thinking about the topic. My topic is the influence of the positive illusion to the healthy behaviour. I will introduce the definition which will help me to develop my ideas in next few pages. Positive illusions are unrealistically favorable attitudes that people have towards themselves or to people that are close to them. Positive illusions are a form of self-deception or self-enhancement that feel good, maintain self-esteem or stave off discomfort at least in the short term. There are three broad kinds: inflated assessment of one's own abilities, unrealistic optimism about the future and an illusion of control (The term originates in a 1988 paper by Taylor and Brown). This topic became very interesting for me during my researching of the information for it.
The head of my essay is positive illusion. I try to cut it into different interesting subtopics. The firs one is the social, behavioral and psychological benefits of the positive illusion. In most cases, positive illusions useful for helping people in stressed situation and disappointments. The term benefit in this case are the reason because of what these illusions are exists. I would like to know how positive illusions influence to relationship between people, how positive illusion help to get happiness in life and how it can affect to mental health overall. For example, relationship between people is not an instantaneous event. People build their relationship during many years; they try to know each other better. During this, people often like to idealise the object that they like or love. The arising of the criteria of the close person is helping people to think that their relationship is ‘right’ and do not have disadvantages (Martc,1998). However, the illusion of depth can, sometimes, ruin relationships because people start to recognize that, the person with whom you are in relationship, does not match to your ideal image. It is very interesting to many people for what is positive illusion is used. Firstly, the creation of such illusions help person to get personal gain. In this situation “personal gain” means the mental calm, in my opinion. People create own meaning and attitude to the special situation that helps them to cope with little difficulties or big problems. “Tools to influence people” is the second way to use positive illusions. In my opinion, the positive illusion can be created by one person and placed to the mind of other people as individually (only to one person) as group (group of people). Sometimes this method is used in the work places by employer, he try to raise moral to achieve his goals in work and arise productivity of the workers.
Next, I would like to introduce to you the forms of illusions which influences to the well-being. I decided to start from the optimism which is one of the ways to placed positive illusions to self mind. Optimism is defined as a mental attitude or world view that interprets situations and events as being best (optimized), meaning that in some way for factors that may not be fully comprehended, the present moment is in an optimum state. In my opinion, it would seem that optimistic people never had a disappointments and in case of each problem they do not pay much emotions to solve it, however it makes me ask “where they take so much energy” because to cope with problems means to skip through self the whole situation and that destroys our inner peace .So, I found some experiments made by psychological scientists Armor & Taylor who conclude that optimists’ positive illusions decrease with time ,however pessimists illusion are increased. Also, I found that the level of personal optimism can be evaluated nowadays (The Life Orientation Test (LOT) developed by Scheier and Carver (1985)). I will also explain that in my future term paper. Next,’ denial form’ of positive illusion is also seems to me very interesting. In this part I would like to explain how positive illusions are good for mental health and in the same time can be as good as negative for the physical health. For example, the positive illusions help people to cope with the fact of existing of different diseases as cancer and etc. The life is not stoped and there should be any positive moments in it. Also, some researchers conclude that people who had a cancer in their lives are more likely think positively and have a higher quality of life then people who had not cancer in their life. I found one more research which shows the good influence of positive illusions to peoples’ physical health. The research shows that the victims of HIV or AIDS, who think that they can control their physical health, the symptoms take longer time to develop. I will introduce the ‘traditional’ mental health model, according to which positive perception of self and the environment around lead to well-being (Taylor and Brown’s Social Psychological model of mental health).
In conclusion, if a man creates for himself an illusion, then it needs to. Apparently, some illusion help solve problem in order to achieve harmony in the soul. However, Illusions tend to disappear, if they do not supported by time and energy. However, sometimes, positive illusions help me to cope with my problems. Everything is not constant: our problem, disappointments and pains. Yes, it can be very difficult and painful, however you should know that it is the only small part of whole life. It can be said; with confidence, that the black line of our life have the end and after there will be the pleasant moments, success and etc. I always think in this way in any situations which happened, happen and will happen in my life.
Czapinski, Janusz. Illusions and Biases in Psychological Well Being: An ‘Onion’ Theory
Of Happiness. Retrieved 1st of May,2013, from http://worlddatabaseofh
appiness.eur.nl/hap_bib/
Martz, John M. Positive illusion in close relationship. Retrieved 2nd of May,2013, from
http://www.carylrusbult.com/
vikCoxRusbult1998_
Robins, Richard W. Positive illusions About the Self: Short- Term Benefits and Long-
Term Costs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.2001 p.340
Taylor, Shelley E. Illusion and Well-Being: a social Psychological Perspective on
Mental Health. Retrieved 1st of May, 2013, from http://www.uic.edu
/classes/psych/Health/
being,%20PsyBull,%201988.pdf
Taylor, Shelley E. and Kemeny, Margaret E. Psychological Resources, Positive Illusions,
And Health. Retrieved 1st of May,2013, from http://epsy.tamu.edu/uploads/
files/Elliott/cpsy685/Taylor%