POSITIVE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS THROUGH THE INCREASE OF OPTIMISM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22235/cp.v0i1.569Keywords:
optimism, cognitive psychotherapy, optimizationAbstract
Optimism seems to be a significant construct as it would predict variables of remarkable clinical importance. Positive psychology argues that the improvement of optimism has a significant influence in the decrease of psychopathological symptoms. Of being this thus, the effects of the psychotherapy could be optimized by means of a plan to increase optimism. With the aim of proving this hypothesis, an experimental study with patients who received classic mental psychotherapy was designed. In order to evaluate changes in the psychopathological symptoms, the SCL-90-R scale was used. The results showed a significant decrease in variables such as somatizations, phobic anxiety and hostility in favor of the experimental group in comparison with the control group. Therefore, this plan to increase optimism seems to produce an optimization of the cognitive psychotherapy when decreasing the symptoms intensity of the patients.Downloads
References
Aspinwall, L. G. & Taylor, S. E. (1992). Modeling cognitive adaptation: A longitudinal investigation of the impact of individual differences and coping on college adjustment and performance. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 61, 755-765.
Beck, A. T., Rush, J., Shaw, B. y Emery, G. (1983). Terapia cognitiva de la depresión. Bilbao: DDB.
Boland, A. & Cappeliez, P. (1997). Optimism and neuroticism as predictors of coping and adaptation in older women. Personality and Individual Differences, 22, 909-919.
Carver, C. S., Pozo, C., Harris, S. D., Noriega, V., Scheier, M. F., Robinson, D. S., Ketcham, A. S., Moffat, F. L. & Clark, K. C. (1993). How coping mediates the effect of optimism on distress: A study
of women with early stage breast cancer. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 375-390.
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F. & Weintraub, J. K. (1989): Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267-283.
Carver, C. S. & Gaines, J. G. (1987). Optimism, pessimism and postpartum depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 11, 449-462.
Carver, C. S. & Scheier, M. F. (2002). Optimism. En Snyder y López. (Eds.): Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp. 231-243). New York: Oxford University Press.
Casullo, M. M. (2004). SCL-90-R. Adaptación UBA. CONICET. Buenos Aires: Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Cozzarelli, C. (1993). Personality and self-efficacy as predictors of coping with abortion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1224-1236.
Derogatis, L. (1994). SCL-90-R. Symptom Checklist- 90-R. Administration, Scoring and Procedures Manual. Minneapolis: National Computer System.
Ellis, A. y Grieger, R. (Eds.). (1981). Manual de terapia racional emotiva. Bilbao: DDB.
Fitzgerald, T. E., Tennen, H., Affleck, G. & Pransky, G. S. (1993). The relative importance of dispositional optimism and control appraisals in quality of life after coronary artery bypass surgery. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 16, 25-43.
Fontaine, K. R., Manstead, A. S. R. & Wagner, H. (1993). Optimism, perceived control over stress, and coping. European Journal of Personality, 7, 267-281.
Given, C. W., Stommel, M., Given, B., Osuch, J., Kurtz, M. E. & Kurtz, J. C. (1993). The influence of cancer patients‘ symptoms and functional states on patients‘ depression and family caregivers‘ reaction and depression. Health Psychology, 12, 277-285.
Hooker, K., Monahan, D., Shifren, K. & Hutchinson, C. (1992). Mental and physical health of spouse caregivers: The role of personality. Psychology and Aging, 7, 367-375.
Librán, Ch. E. (2002). Optimismo disposicional como predictor de estrategias de afrontamiento. Psicothema, 3, vol.14, 544-550.
Liddon, W. J. & Jones, J. V. Jr. (2002). Terapias cognitivas con fundamento empírico: Aplicaciones actuales y futuras. México, DF.:
Manual Moderno.
Litt, M. D., Tennen, H., Affleck, G. & Klock, S. (1992). Coping and cognitive factors in adaptation to in vitro fertilization failure. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15, 171-187.
Scheier, M., Matthews, K., Owens, J., Magovern, G., Lefebvre, R., Abbott, R. & Carver, C. (1989). Dispositional optimism and recovery from coronary bypass surgery: The beneficial effects on physical
and psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1024-1040.
Scheier, M., Weintraub, J. & Carver, C. S. (1986). Coping with stress: Divergent strategies of optimists and pessimists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1257-1264.
Scheier, M. & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, Pessimism, and Health: Assessment and Implication of Generalized Outcomes Expectancies. Health Psychology, 4, 219-247.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2003). La Auténtica Felicidad. Buenos Aires: Vergara.
Shifren, K. & Hooker, K. (1995). Stability and change in optimism: A study among spouse caregivers. Experimental Aging Research, 21, 59-76
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2007 Universidad Católica del Uruguay
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.