Unrealistic Optimism: Present and Future

by Neil D and Klein Weinstein

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology (Volume 15, Issue 1, pp. 1-8) 1996
  • Psychology

Discusses the occurrence of unrealistic optimism about the risk of experiencing negative events. The difficulty of determining the actual risk and the difficulty in understanding and providing risk probabilities hinder the assessment of unrealistic optimism. This can be avoided by looking for bias on a group level and by studying comparative rather than absolute risk estimates. The most prominent determinant of such optimism is motivated distortions which protect self-esteem, project a positive social image, or reduce anxiety. The causes of optimistic biases can be understood through a study of negative events that elicit different amounts of bias and the discovery of attributes responsible for these differences. Another approach is to focus on the correlations between personal attributes and optimism. Unrealistic optimism can be altered by various interventions.