pessimism

n. the attitude that things will go wrong and that people’s wishes or aims are unlikely to be fulfilled. Pessimists are people who expect bad things to happen to them and to others or who are otherwise doubtful or hesitant about positive outcomes. Most individuals lie somewhere on the spectrum between the two polar opposites of pure optimism and pure pessimism but tend to demonstrate relatively stable situational tendencies in one direction or the other. See also expectancy-value model. —pessimistic adj.

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Psychology term of the day

November 25th 2024

confusion effect

an antipredator behavior in which each of several animals moves or vocalizes in a highly random way, making it difficult for predators to locate and attack any one individual. See also dilution effect.