David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Silver-lining thinking and resilience
Counselling Connection
March 12, 2013
?The optimism skill of silver-lining thinking goes hand in hand with avoiding what researchers have called ?focusing illusions? (Schkade and Kahneman, 1987). It is about acknowledging the dark clouds (say, impending divorce or diagnosis of an incurable condition), but refusing to give an inappropriate amount of attention (focus) to certain feared aspects of the ?cloud?, concentrating instead on the silver lining in the clouds: some aspects of the situation that may be positive, despite the overall tough circumstance.
An example of this occurred in the late 1980s, when getting AIDS was pretty much a death sentence. On an ?AIDS Road Show? set up to promote safe sex, one of the AIDS patients participating was asked how he was managing to live so cheerfully and with such obvious happiness, given his condition. ?Oh,? he said, ?that?s easy. I ? and many others with AIDS ? know that our time may be limited, so we just let the rubbish go by.?
That is, he saw the dark cloud ? the spectre of death hanging over him ? and decided not to focus on his probable shortened lifespan, looking instead to the quality of his relationships and the enjoyable and meaningful things he could do with his time. He resiliently re-framed, ?I?m probably going to die before too long? to ?I have a wonderful quality of life now?, thus avoiding the focusing illusion that all of life now must be held ransom to (focused on) early death.?
The text above is an extract from Mental Health Academy?s Fostering Resilience in Clients course.
The concept of silver-lining thinking was also recently explored by the movie Silver Linings Playbook ? a Hollywood hit that rendered 23 year old actress Jennifer Lawrence her first Oscar-winning performance (as well as nominations for best movie, best actor, best supporting actor, best supporting actress and best adapted screenplay). The movie brings light to mental health issues that affect millions, and is considered by many a great advocate of the ongoing campaign to end stigma surrounding mental health.
You can watch the official trailer below. If you haven?t seen the movie yet, it is worth a trip to the cinemas.
Counselling Connection
March 12, 2013
?The optimism skill of silver-lining thinking goes hand in hand with avoiding what researchers have called ?focusing illusions? (Schkade and Kahneman, 1987). It is about acknowledging the dark clouds (say, impending divorce or diagnosis of an incurable condition), but refusing to give an inappropriate amount of attention (focus) to certain feared aspects of the ?cloud?, concentrating instead on the silver lining in the clouds: some aspects of the situation that may be positive, despite the overall tough circumstance.
An example of this occurred in the late 1980s, when getting AIDS was pretty much a death sentence. On an ?AIDS Road Show? set up to promote safe sex, one of the AIDS patients participating was asked how he was managing to live so cheerfully and with such obvious happiness, given his condition. ?Oh,? he said, ?that?s easy. I ? and many others with AIDS ? know that our time may be limited, so we just let the rubbish go by.?
That is, he saw the dark cloud ? the spectre of death hanging over him ? and decided not to focus on his probable shortened lifespan, looking instead to the quality of his relationships and the enjoyable and meaningful things he could do with his time. He resiliently re-framed, ?I?m probably going to die before too long? to ?I have a wonderful quality of life now?, thus avoiding the focusing illusion that all of life now must be held ransom to (focused on) early death.?
The text above is an extract from Mental Health Academy?s Fostering Resilience in Clients course.
The concept of silver-lining thinking was also recently explored by the movie Silver Linings Playbook ? a Hollywood hit that rendered 23 year old actress Jennifer Lawrence her first Oscar-winning performance (as well as nominations for best movie, best actor, best supporting actor, best supporting actress and best adapted screenplay). The movie brings light to mental health issues that affect millions, and is considered by many a great advocate of the ongoing campaign to end stigma surrounding mental health.
You can watch the official trailer below. If you haven?t seen the movie yet, it is worth a trip to the cinemas.
