Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Optimism refers to having a positive outlook on life and expecting good things to happen. It involves believing that setbacks are temporary and can be overcome.
Related terms
Pessimism: The tendency to expect negative outcomes and focus on the worst-case scenarios.
The way individuals explain the causes of events in their lives, whether they attribute them internally (to themselves) or externally (to outside factors).