037 | Transcending Our World View
November 2, 2020
Minute of Transparency: Welcome to California!
Links to images and video clips from the Silverado Fire:
Today’s Topic: Transcending Our World View
In this episode:
How Much Water Is In Your Glass?
The 4 World Views
Transcending Your View
// 1. HOW MUCH WATER IS IN YOUR GLASS?
My wife and I have had this ongoing debate about our personalities. And it is often boiled down into proverbial optimist vs. pessimist conversation.
My wife fancies the optimistic view and she suggests that I am the opposite.
And out of irritation, I typically respond with, “I’m neither - I’m a Realist…”
Now the problem with this argument is that I hadn’t done a bit of research to back up my claim.
I simply like the sound of it. I would rather someone call me a Realist, than a Pessimist…
But just because I like the sound of something doesn’t make it true.
So that’s where this episode of the podcast came from - a desire for me to understand more about the different ways we view the world so I can better understand my own view and learn to live with it.
Let’s start at the beginning - back when there were just two ways of looking at the world: As an optimist, or a pessimist…
I’m sure we’ve all heard these two discussed as polar opposites - and that you are either one or the other.
And you’ve probably heard them explained with the glass of water analogy - right?
Fill a glass to the midpoint with water
The optimist will say, “Oh look, my glass is half full!"
The pessimist will say, “Oh look, my glass is half empty!"
We laugh at this and for most of us - we move on - without putting serious thought to it.
After all, we don’t really fall directly into one of these two camps right? I mean we have good days and bad days. That’s probably more the determiner than personality right?
On good days we tend to be more optimistic?
On bad days we get snarky and the pessimism comes out?
Right? No?
And this is where we tend to get stuck. We blow it off as a passing personality trait - one that changes with the weather so to speak. And we never really get down to the nitty gritty - determining how we look at the world most of the time - as a rule.
So let’s start with these two options in order to get a solid footing for the next two…
Where did the whole concept of optimism vs. pessimism come from? Well, I’m not sure. But I’ll go out on a limb and say that it probably came from the world of psychology.
Psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists and clinicians at all levels have made the brain their field of study. And the idea that our brains may be “bent” in one direction of the other in terms of the way we experience the world around us is fascinating even to the average person.
So most of the articles that attempt to explain optimism vs. pessimism with any level of scientific fact are from the world of psychology.
There is a list of references at the bottom of this post so you can do more research on this if you’re interested.
But let’s start with an explanation from Jeremy Dean on the PsychCentral.com Blog:
Jeremy explains that people gravitate to one or the other based on “motivation.” He says,
"We all know how difficult it is to predict what’s going to happen in the future. Life is always throwing us curveballs and most of us accept that our plans often don’t work out. It’s not that we’re doing anything wrong, just that life is unpredictable."
"To cope with this unpredictability some of us choose to think optimistically because it helps motivate us to try, try again. For others a pessimistic mindset performs the same function. By thinking about what might go wrong it helps protect us against when things do go wrong."
"In both cases what the optimistic and pessimistic standpoints are doing is working in service of motivation. Each provides a protective buffer…”
And finally, he explains that it is almost like two sides of the same coin - that people just pick one side because it seems to work better for them:
Being optimistic allows people to pursue their goals in a positive way: to dream a bigger and better dream, which they can work their way towards. Optimists also seem to respond better to positive feedback, and part of being optimistic may be generating this feedback for themselves, i.e. thinking positive thoughts.
On the other hand being pessimistic may help people reduce their natural anxiety and to perform better. Also, pessimists seem to respond better to negative feedback. They like to hear what the problems were, so they can correct them. Again, part of why pessimists generate these sorts of negative thoughts is that it helps them perform better.
// 2. THE 4 WORLD VIEWS
For some of us, only having the two options of optimism and pessimism seems limiting at best. We don’t feel like we fit in either category so we push back when people suggest otherwise.
And no doubt - the two we will add to the list arrived out of this frustration. So what are they?
The Realist and the Idealist.
In keeping with the “water in the glass” analogy - this is how they work in the same scenario:
Optimist: Glass is half full
Pessimist: Glass is half empty
Realist: There is water in the glass
Idealist: If we added some flavored powder we would have Kool-Aid
Simplistic, I know - but pretty spot on as well. In just a few phrases we have a pretty good idea what the differences are between the 4 types.
But let's dive in a bit deeper and learn more about each. In this section I’m leaning a lot on the article by Jodie from SimpleMinded.life:
The Optimist:
Glass is half full...
An optimist is a person who believes that good will ultimately prevail
No matter the outcome, there is reason and purpose behind things
Things will typically work out for the best
They tend to be hopeful and confident about the future success of something
They tend to have an internal locus of control - meaning they tend to focus on things within their control
They tend to feel like they can take on any situation
The Pessimist:
Glass is half empty...
The pessimist is the opposite of an optimist
They tend to see a world that is as bad as it gets
They typically believe that bad will trump good
Pessimists tend to see the worst in people
They always expect the worst-case scenario to occur
But because they assume the worst, they also plan for the worst
They are able to take a defensive stand against problems that may arise
They have an external locus of control - believing that things happen to you - and that you have little control over them at all
The Realist:
There is water in the glass...
Defined: re·al·ist n. 1. One who tends to view or represent things as they really are, one who faces facts and acts in a practical way
The realist is a combination of the optimist and the pessimist
It takes some real talent to be a realist
However, it isn’t a complete balance between the two schools of thought
The realist tends to see both sides of a situation and determines the most likely outcome
They are good problem solvers
Good mediators
Even better planners as they can predict outcomes
They can be a bit harsh in their brutal honesty
They understand when arguing is pointless, and they know when to speak up
They tend to be more laid back than most
They tend to be content with themselves and accepting of most situations
They fluctuate between an internal and external locus of control
The Idealist:
If we added some flavored powder we would have Kool-Aid...
Defined: i·de·al·ist n. 1. One who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes and goals; a visionary
The idealist is said to be out of touch with reality
Unable to achieve the unimaginable
Out of all three classes of thought, the idealist has it the worst
These loving people tend to study things that center around humanity and high social roles
They can focus on things like free water for all, and building more homeless shelters
They assign meaning to their lives because they are making a difference, or helping others
They believe the world would be a better place if everyone was educated
They choose not to think about control and instead focus on putting out good vibes into the world
So there you have it! The 4 world views…
Take them, or leave them. These aren’t the final word on peoples personalities - just an interesting way to view people and how they interface with the world around them.
Just like introvert vs. extrovert or morning person vs. night owl…
Just another way to learn more about yourself.
I was actually going to walk through this concept in the last episode on Transcending Low Frustration Tolerance. As there seems to be a big correlation between how we view the world around us and our level of irritability and frustration given the circumstances we find ourselves in.
However, when I started walking through them I realized the 4 World Views really needed to be their own episode - as there was so much to discuss about each one.
In order to do them justice - I decided to pull them out into their own episode…
// 3. TRANSCENDING YOUR VIEW
So here we are. We’ve defined the various world views. And I’m hoping that you were able to identify with one of them based on the details provided.
But “knowing is only half the battle” right?
The rest of the battle consists of what you do with the knowledge you have.
Now I’m not going to suggest that one of the views is better than another - any more than I would suggest an Enneagram 7 become an Enneagram 1…
People simply find themselves in one view or the other based on personality, upbringing, religious persuasion, life experience, traumatic situations, etc.
And like we said about optimism and pessimism - they are just two sides of the same coin - people using each to help them cope with the unpredictability of future events.
For me, after reading quite a bit about each, I do resonate with the Realist. In fact a lot… So moving forward, I can now tell my wife with certainty that, "I’m not a Pessimist - I’m a Realist!"
And I will be doing it with factual information rather than just saying it to be obstinate…
But now that I know that about myself - how can I use that information?
For me - the best way to use the information is to look at the good vs. the bad of being a Realist.
Similar to the Enneagram: I am a 1, but there there is a healthy version of a 1, and an unhealthy version of a 1.
So what does a Good Realist look like?
Stable
Analytical
Able to predict outcomes
Problem solver / Mediator
Planner
Calm / Laid back
And what does a Bad Realist look like?
Up tight
Harsh
Brutal honesty
Can become controlling
Leans toward perfectionism
Can be quit but judgmental
Of course this is just scratching the surface - doing more research Into what it means to be a Realist could provide even greater understanding…
So what is it for you? If you feel you’re an optimist? Or a pessimist? What are the good and bad sides of your world view?
And how can you focus more of your energy on the good?
Let’s Land the Plane: This week, wrestle with the following:
How do you view the world?
Optimistically?
Pessimistically?
Realistically?
Idealistically?
What do the good and bad (or healthy and unhealthy) versions of you look like?
What are a few things you can do this week to lean into the good, or healthy side of your world view?
For me, this was icing on the cake after last weeks episode on Low Frustration Tolerance - something I struggle with all the time.
As I learn more about myself, and how LFT impacts me - this understanding that I’m a Realist actually sheds light on why I may have that struggle.
Putting the two together adds a new layer of self awareness for me.
My hope is that you feel the same! Thanks again for hanging out with us this week.
Continue to spread the word about Transcend Human on social media and by giving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
And until next time, keep Transcending Human!
—————————————————————————
References: