Authors
Patrick Carroll, Kate Sweeny, James A Shepperd
Publication date
2006/3
Journal
Review of general psychology
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
56-73
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Description
Although subjective optimism is generally regarded as adaptive, people show a sharp decline in optimism when they anticipate self-relevant feedback in the near future. The authors discuss moderators of the shift in future outlooks as well as reasons for the shift. The authors propose that the shift can reflect a response to new information or an attempt to brace for undesired outcomes. Both explanations represent a response to an adaptive need to prepare for uncertain states of the world. Finally, the authors discuss unanswered questions and directions for future research.
Total citations
Scholar articles
P Carroll, K Sweeny, JA Shepperd - Review of general psychology, 2006