Akwụkwọ «Okwu Mmalite nke Psychology». Ndị odee - RL Atkinson, RS Atkinson, EE Smith, DJ Boehm, S. Nolen-Hoeksema. N'okpuru nchịkọta akụkọ izugbe nke VP Zinchenko. Mbipụta mba ụwa nke iri na ise, St. Petersburg, Prime Eurosign, 15.
Isiokwu si n'isi nke 14. Nchegbu, ịnagide na ahụ ike
Article written by Neil D. Weinstein, Rutgers University
Are you more or less prone to alcohol addiction than other people? What about your chances of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or having a heart attack? Not many people who are asked these questions admit to having an above-average percentage of risk. Typically, 50-70% of those surveyed say that their risk level is below average, another 30-50% say they have an average risk level, and less than 10% admit that their risk level is above average.
Of course, in reality, everything is not so at all. You may indeed have a lower than average chance of having a heart attack, but there are too many people who claim this to be right. The “average” person, by definition, has an “average” degree of risk. Therefore, when there are many more people who report their average risk level than those who say their risk level is above average, it is more likely that the former have a biased risk assessment.
The evidence shows that most people whose actions, family history or environment are a source of high risk either do not understand it or never admit it. In general, it can be said that people are unrealistically optimistic about future risks. This unrealistic optimism is especially strong in the case of risks that are to some extent under the control of the individual, such as alcoholism, lung cancer and sexually transmitted diseases. Obviously, we are absolutely sure that we will be more successful in avoiding such problems than our peers.
Unrealistic optimism demonstrates that we cannot be impartial and objective when it comes to health risks. We want to be informed and make the right decisions, yet feel like we’re already living a healthy lifestyle, no change is needed, and we don’t need to worry. Unfortunately, the desire to see everything in pink can cause a lot of problems. If everything is fine, we do not need to take precautions. We can continue to get drunk with friends, eat as much pizza, fried meat and hamburgers as we want, and only use condoms with sexual partners whom we consider promiscuous (strangely, we rarely think that they are all like that). Most of the time, risky behaviors don’t cause us problems, but they are definitely more likely to occur. The millions of college students who each year become infected through sexual contact or get into car accidents after drinking too much beer are clear examples of people doing things they know are risky. But they decided that they would be all right. This is not ignorance, this is unrealistic optimism.
The saddest example is the rise in the number of college students who smoke. Various illusions allow them to feel quite comfortable. They will smoke for a couple of years and quit (others may be hooked, but not them). Either they don’t smoke strong cigarettes or they don’t inhale. They are actively involved in sports, which compensates for the harm from smoking. Smokers do not deny that cigarettes are harmful. They simply believe that cigarettes are not dangerous for them. They usually say that their risk of getting heart disease, lung cancer, or emphysema is lower than other smokers and only slightly higher than non-smokers.
Optimism has its benefits. When people are seriously ill and struggling with an illness like cancer or AIDS, it’s important to stay optimistic. It helps to put up with an unpleasant treatment, and a good mood can help the body resist illness. But even huge optimism is unlikely to make a terminally ill person believe that he is not sick, or stop treatment. However, the danger associated with unrealistic optimism increases when the problem is to prevent harm. If you believe that you can drive a car after a night of drinking, or that none of your sexual partners are infected with a sexually transmitted disease, or that, unlike your classmates, you can quit smoking at any time, your unrealistic optimism is likely to create you health problems that will make you regret your behavior.
Olileanya na-enweghị ezi uche nwere ike ịbara ahụ ike gị mma
Olileanya na-enweghị isi ọ dị njọ maka ahụike gị? N'ileghachi anya na mbụ, ọ dị ka ọ kwesịrị ịdị na-emerụ ahụ. A sị ka e kwuwe, ọ bụrụ na ndị mmadụ ekweta na nsogbu ndị sitere n’ ezé ezé ruo n’ọrịa obi, ọ́ bụghị na ọ bụghị ihe mgbochi n’ibi ndụ ahụ́ ike? Ihe akaebe zuru oke na-egosi na ọtụtụ mmadụ na-enwe nchekwube n'ezie maka ahụike ha. Ma n'agbanyeghị ihe ọ bụla, inwe nchekwube na-ezighị ezi yiri ka ọ dị mma maka ahụ ike gị. Lee →
Chapter 15
N'isiakwụkwọ a, anyị ga-eleba anya n'akụkọ ụfọdụ ndị nwere nnukwu nsogbu uche, ma lekwasị anya na ndị ọrịa n'otu n'otu na-ebi ndụ na-emebi àgwà ha. Lee →