Monthly Archives: May 2015

How well do you know yourself?

Posted on May 26, 2015 by knlistman

High self awareness may not be a pleasant characteristic to have. There are other names given to this trait, such as private self-consciousness. Stephen Franzoi of the University of California at Davis has studied the effects of private self-consciousness and found … Continue reading →

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The problem with positive pep talks

Posted on May 20, 2015 by knlistman

After centuries of  philosophers, and in more recent times psychologists, coming up their own set of personality factors a symposium in the 1980s settled on what are called the “big five” which are commonly found in  most summaries of personality traits. Four of the … Continue reading →

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The origins of optimism

Posted on May 11, 2015 by knlistman

Optimism and pessimism are not two distinct styles but rather ends of a continuum. At the optimistic end people expect only good events to happen to them. They concentrate on stimuli that indicates a rosy outlook and ignore warning signs … Continue reading →

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Destined for optimism?

Posted on May 4, 2015 by knlistman

There has been an academic debate going on between psychologists since Shelly Taylor published Positive Illusions asserting that the normal mentally healthy person holds on to optimistic illusions. Are most humans not realistic in their view of themselves and the their … Continue reading →

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