Positive Illusions Are Essential for Mental Health
Positive Illusions Are Essential For Mental Health.
The ego has always taken toll of individual character and behavior. The egocentric nature of humankind drives them to concentrate on the positive behavioral traits. The subsequent concentration of humanity on these positive traits may just translate to some mental disorder. Where the illusions appear protracted and a negative outcome is attained, the persons psych may be affected translating into mental health disorder. This notwithstanding, positive illusions have far reaching positive ramifications and should be sought relentlessly.
There are three types of positive illusions. They include self-aggrandizing self-perception, perception of mastery, illusion of control and unrealistic optimism. The three illusions have one main inherent characteristic they value the ego self and have the least regard for the other party or person. However there is much to this than this. Harboring an unrealistically optimistic self-image with an exaggerated good judgment of control over actions can be construed to be a kind of egocentricity (Bell, P Staines, P. 2001, p 63). Memory is structured egocentrically when the perception holds meaning to the individual it subsequently looks more relevant and motivational. In the long run positive self-illusions turn out to have cognitive rewards to the memory.
The positive illusions are important for the mental health of an individual. Subsequently, as Taylor and Brown postulated in their psychological model for mental health, illusions contribute to the well being of an individual. The contextual implication of wellbeing is the ability to content about oneself.
Positive feelings have been termed tidal in the pursuit towards solving of stressful and traumatic feelings of individuals. Besides, these illusions support the healing course of an individual. Taylor asserts that cancerous patients tend to recapitulate relatively fast due to their positive illusions. Take a case where an individual is stressed over lack of money. The individual meets a free Lotto Charity Sweepstake, fills and waits for results (Gamon D. Bragdon A D). The individual will fantasize how he will solve his problems through the funds attained from the charity. Ironically, the funds are yet to be allocated the receipt of the funds is purely a matter of probability. Ultimately this type of illusion keeps the individual encouraged and mentally relaxed, in the long run this reduces stressful mental disorders.
It has been very particularly psychological, research shows, that those patients that have positive illusions, with cancer as a case, have always reported a higher quality of life than those who had never had cancer. Physiologically, this was protective because it could be utilized to evoke a sense of meaning and purpose .Take a case of a patient who is on the verge of death, a traditional medicine man promises to treat the ailment fully, citing successful passed experiences. The patient definitely becomes reenergized because of the encouragement. While this may not translate into biblical truth, it reduces the patients trauma.
Similarly, it has been argued that the holding of positive illusions enhance the productivity of individuals and their subsequent persistence in task accomplishment. Without these positive illusions, Greenwald argues that individuals will tend to give up on this tasks and hence affecting their mental health. Ideally when individuals feel they have a capability of tackling difficult tasks, through positive illusions their expectations are reenergized. Subsequent to this tasks that appeared otherwise difficult are accomplished. By citing cases of individuals who are awarded contracts and promised hefty pay if the productivity is high. The individual will start nursing high positive illusions which will then translate to better performance. Just may be, the person will start visualize himself driving or starting his own business from the proceeds. This will definitely translate into high productivity.
Sigmund Freud in his developmental theory argues that the children in the ages of 2-7 years are always seeing the parents of their sex as potential rivals. Boys tend to develop Oedipus complex, resulting in their general dislike of the father. The implication here is that these are mere illusions. But then through these complexes the boys tend to work harder to match their fathers. The boys yearn to take the roles and responsibilities of the father the ultimate outcome is that they end up performing relatively well in their life pursuits. The girls on the other hand, develop phallic complex. These complexes among the girls trigger relentless efforts to take their mothers responsibility so as to win the father whom the mother seems to be rivaling. Subsequently, the performances of the girls are bolstered through this illusionary feelings and complexes.
According to Piaget, at the age of 2-7 years the childrens perception to life is largely molded. The story telling approach to learning that was developed was meant to trigger the learner to visualize the outcome of particular acts (Wallis C.,). Take the story of Santa Claus, for example, this is only meant to trigger positive illusions about the future. Generally the stories told to children only assist in the developing of positive feeling about the life to come even when it appears very oblique. Once the children have embraced this positive feelings it assists them to relentlessly pursue their goals.
I feel strongly that the aspect of guidance and counseling has its basis on the positive illusions of a learner. During guidance and counseling a vision about the future is developed in the learner. Probably the learner will be having particular projections about the future based on the projections the learner is guided (Taylor, S. E Brown J D 1988, p 34). While this may not necessarily be forthcoming, the earner uses the knowledge about the future which is mere illusions to reenergize their motivation towards achieving their predetermined goals.
Illusions are said to widen largely an individuals scope of thinking and perception. Once one is fantasizing about the future their scope is generally widened. Evidently, individuals with positive illusions are said to go out of their humanly possible way to achieve bigger goals. Because of the illusions, individuals tend to seek divergent approaches towards achieving high objectives. While the goals may appear too protracted some of them may just be achieved after all.
Failures in life are simply kept afloat by positive illusions without the illusions individuals who had their goals highly put could simply collapse. However, because of the thought such as, failure in education is not failure in life the efforts of the individuals tend to be renewed and the persons finding themselves in such jigsaw tend to review their life ambitions, pick their pieces and move on with live (Gamon D. Bragdon, A D). Astoundingly, their lives may turn out better than those of the individuals who had just done well in their educational pursuits. Within these precincts there is sufficient reason to nurse the positive illusions.
Illusions are genuinely not part of the human senses. However, their embrasures in an individuals life tend to add value to their lives. Individuals with very high illusions tend to have very expanded and broad perception of life. Unlike in cases where individuals have only opened their lives to what is termed as reality, individuals with illusions have a positive perception about the entire universe. Given this orientation of illusions, they tend to add value to life and expand the prospects of the individuals who harbor them (Taylor, S. E Brown J D, 1988, p 42). Common sense takes it that an individual with precise self-perception is indispensable to good psychological health. Within the mandate of this view, normal persons have a realistic indulgent of whom they are, their capability, and the probable outcome of the future. On the contrary, individuals lacking these balanced considerations can lead to poor health or, at its extreme exhibition, insane.
In accordance with the optimism bias approach to illusions, I feel the illusions have a relatively large effect on the future. Appealing to individuals about what the future holds relative to the past and the present offers the individual some hope. The individuals who were almost despairing tend to be encouraged. Such unrealistic philosophies would overestimate the chances that they may be wide variety of unpleasant actions, such as enjoying their first job or having a gifted baby, and to some extent underrate the danger of giving in to unenthusiastic events, such as divorce or even becoming a victim of a chronic infection (Findlay, Bruce M., 2009, p 23). This illusory personality of optimism is evident in individuals under-estimation of duration taken to accomplish variety of errands.
Arguably, individual who score high in aspects such as happiness, luck, skills and other virtuous aspects are said to have exaggerated positive illusions (Taylor, S. E Brown J D 1988, p 29). This people tend to rank themselves as exhibiting the highest sense of ethical behavior. Ardently, this type of evaluations bolsters ones self in terms of creativity, imaginativeness and intelligence. While their perceptions may be fairly unrealistic, the outcome is always high than if they had not harbored these positive illusions.
Individuals who also feel their qualities are exclusive and have rare flaws are said to perform better in life and have less mental disorders. Similarly, individuals with high level of illusions tend to ignore their negative traits at the very onset (Gamon D. Bragdon A D). However, hard-pressed to concede their weaknesses, they term them as trivial, often for the reason that people should concentrate on the positive and ignore the negatives. On the contrary, Positive traits such as abilities, virtues and talent are superficially rare and distinct. Depressed people are said to tend to have a negative view of themselves and friends.
Psychologically, indulgence in magical thoughts is a tidal signs to an individuals mental health. Individuals who have protracted views of their general control on their events and those of persons around them tend to have reduced problem of mental disorder. For example, in games of probability, the imagination of having some control over the overall outcome tends to motivate individuals in their pursuit for their live goals.
Conclusion
Positive illusions are evidently inevitable in the pursuit for mental health. While there could be some negated outcomes for the same, and like in any other endeavor, there will always be the pros and the cons (Calvin C. R, Block J and Funder D.C. 1995, p 1159). However, when looked at with the sobriety of scientific empiricism, there is sufficient reason to encourage individuals to harbor some positive illusions.
The merit of the positive illusions traverses the bound of health to spheres of human productivity. Given that the basic goal for living is to gain self satisfaction through pursuing a course that should give returns, I feel positive illusions are worth the name, positive illusions and should be pursued relentlessly as they are party to ones success in whatever they are endeavoring to achieve.
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