Page 62 - AIMA : Foundation Day Souvenir

We have been led to believe that doing this will make us stronger, but Dr Susan claims that the hypothesis is false and the reverse is true. This is the case because if we do not deal with the unpleasant emotion, it will not go away and the issue will not be resolved.
If we experience tough feelings while interacting with a toxically positive culture, we start to think there is something wrong with ourselves. Toxic positivity sounds like individuals in our life telling us desuetude phrases like “Keep your head up” and “Be optimistic” that do not address the real issues when we are trying to understand our unpleasant emotions. When asked how they got to where they are today, successful individuals or those who have experienced objectively challenging circumstances may respond, “I got here because I embraced optimism and believed in myself,” which does not elucidate the complete picture. The superficiality of the narrative makes everyone believe that embracing optimism shall make them stand out or help them become star performers which does not happen really.
Embracing realism
What is the ideal way then? Thinking positively does not help and people seldom think negatively about any prospect unless they are very sure about the outcome, which is a rarity in itself. Some of the critics of positive thinking urge individuals to stop talking positively and focus only on difficulties or hindrances that lie on the way. But this adjustment is too immoderate. According to studies, this tactic is no more effective than having positive fantasies. The best strategy is the hybrid strategy that blends optimistic thinking with ‘reality’ which
works wonders according to the research. Dr Gabrielle suggests a technique she calls mental contrasting, which entails first imagining the ideal goal and then the difficulties or impractical barriers that stand in the way of that goal. Gabrielle reasoned that seeing the challenges right after the good fantasy would counteract its calming and dissociation effects and motivate individuals to action. Dr Gabrielle conducted a study and asked participants to select a goal for either their personal or professional lives. She divided them into four groups and asked them to rate how feasible they believed their aims were. The first group engaged in mental contrasting, where they first entertained optimistic fantasies before considering the challenges, they might encounter. The second group solely engaged in optimistic fantasies. The third group simply focused on the real obstacles. The fourth group had a reverse contrast where they first thought about the practical hurdles and then they had their optimistic fantasies. Dr Gabrielle has discovered that people with attainable goals, which is group number one felt more energized and motivated to work towards them. The idea is not to disparage positivity. It is very helpful in various potential scenarios, but it has to be balanced with prudence. If employees combine optimism with a clear grasp of the challenges to be overcome and the work to be done in the organisation, then they shall perform better than the rest who engage only in positive visualisation.
Therefore, it appears that today our workforce requires a right union of optimism and realism, and the idea is not old. In the 5th century BC, Lord Buddha endorsed the same idea with a different connotation called ‘Madhyam-Pratipada’ (the middle way). The middle way seems to be the
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