The impact of optimism on organizational well-being

Optimism is defined as an attitude that allows personal goals and aspirations to be achieved despite obstacles. It involves the belief that somehow, whether through sustained voluntary effort or chance, positive results will always occur. Optimists fall on a spectrum between optimism and pessimism, with relatively stable tendencies toward one direction or the other (American Psychological Association & Vandenbos, 2015, p. 740).

Optimistic people are interested in various fields due to their high self-esteem and extraversion, and low levels of neuroticism, stress, anxiety, and hopelessness, which are associated with positive outcomes in physical and mental health.

According to various authors, there are different forms of optimism: dispositional, explanatory, unrealistic, comparative, situational, strategic, realistic, and learned optimism. Each type is characterized by different expectations and approaches to future events (Srivastava & Angelo, 2009).

1. Dispositional optimism - defines the type of optimism in which a person has positive expectations about future events.

2. Explanatory optimism - the way a person describes events in his or her personal life in positive or negative terms (good/bad)

3. Unrealistic optimism - also called "misguided optimism," is a person's perception of future events as certain to go in his or her favor, as well as the likelihood that he or she will overestimate the good and underestimate the bad.

4. Comparative optimism - expresses a person's belief that the risk to which he or she may be exposed is below average, despite a correct external evaluation.

5. Situational optimism - refers to the positive expectations a person has about a particular context.

6. Strategic optimism - refers to the strategy by which a person actively avoids thinking about possible negative outcomes.

7. Realistic optimism - reflects a person's ability to stay positive and focus on the positive aspects of reality

8. Learned optimism - based on the theory of Seligman and associates (1968), which states that optimism can be learned by discounting events and classifying them according to adversity, beliefs, and consequences. In other words, the theory illustrates the main difference between optimistic and pessimistic explanatory styles. In the case of learned optimism, a person modifies the scenario of a personal event loaded with adversity and reformulates it in terms of the optimistic explanatory style for a beneficial approach (Srivastava & Angelo, 2009).

From the author's perspective, it is important to maintain six positive dimensions of mental health, such as self-acceptance and positive relationships with others, to achieve maximum personal well-being (Harrington, 2013).

Organizational well-being includes aspects such as the quality of the physical environment, organizational climate, and job satisfaction, which are fundamental to personal identity and satisfaction (Laine & Rinne, 2015; Pagán-Castaño et al., 2019).

Optimism and organizational well-being are crucial for mental health and personal development, promoting an environment free of discrimination and exploitation, where people not only want to work but to stay and thrive (Biesok & Wyród-Wróbel, 2018).

Life satisfaction, which includes emotional and cognitive aspects, is closely related to mental well-being and quality of life in general (Timoszczyk-Tomczak & Bugajska, 2013; Ziel-ińska-Więczkowska & Kędziora-Kornatowska, 2010).

Research highlights the importance of self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and optimism in motivation and persistence to achieve personal goals and make decisions (Locke & Latham, 1990; Pavot & Diener, 1993; Scheier & Carver, 1985).

Optimism promotes adaptive strategies in the face of adverse events and contributes to better adaptation and proactive functioning compared to pessimistic attitudes (Nes & Segerstrom, 2006; Nes, 2016; Carver & Scheier, 2014).

References

Carmen-Gabriela, Secară. (2023). Optimism And Well-Being At The Organizational Level. pp. 816-825. 10.15405/epes.23045.81.

Jurišová, E., Pivková, L., Ráczova, L, Sollár, T, Romanová, M. (2023) Hope, optimism, and pessimism as predictors of positive and negative psychological changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovak adults. Front. Psychol.,. Sec. Positive Psychology. 14, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1151027

Matwiejczuk, Patrycjusz & Mazur, Zuzanna & Matwiejczuk, Agnieszka. (2023). Self-Efficacy Versus Dispositional Optimism and Life Satisfaction of Fitness Industry Employees. Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research. 100. 10.2478/pcssr-2023-0014.