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Define the concept of a pessimistic explanatory style and describe how an individual with this style interprets negative events.
Question: Define the concept of a pessimistic explanatory style and describe how an individual with this style interprets negative events.
Sample answer: A pessimistic explanatory style is a cognitive tendency where individuals interpret negative events in a specific way. When a bad event occurs, they are characterized by a tendency to blame themselves for the outcome. Furthermore, they typically expect that these negative events will result in long-term negative consequences, rather than seeing them as temporary. Finally, they believe that these consequences will broadly affect many different aspects of their lives, rather than being isolated to the specific situation.
Key points:
- Defines the style as a way of interpreting negative events.
- Notes the tendency to blame oneself for the negative event.
- Mentions the expectation of long-term negative consequences.
- Mentions the expectation that consequences broadly affect many aspects of life.
Rubric: Award points for correctly defining the style and explicitly stating the three characteristics of how negative events are interpreted: self-blame, long-term expectations, and broad effects.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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