[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-137592-105":59,"doc-detail-137592-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","the-willing-suspension-of-disbelief-optimism","The Willing Suspension of Disbelief - Optimism","","Optimism is treated as an embedded element of psychotherapy practice, spanning approaches from psychoanalysis to behavior modification. The article clarifies where Gestalt therapy places optimism on the therapeutic spectrum by first laying out its theoretical basis, then examining multiple definitions of optimism and distinguishing it from pessimism, hope, and courage. It argues that psychotherapy is inherently optimistic, surveys positive psychology, and presents optimism through a Gestalt frame, concluding that embracing the unknown is central.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-willing-suspension-of-disbelief-optimism/137592/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-willing-suspension-of-disbelief-optimism/137592.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Sage","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-18","2026-08-22",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How does the article define optimism in relation to psychotherapy practice?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Optimism is presented as embedded in psychotherapy across multiple modalities, and the paper focuses on how Gestalt therapy locates optimism within the therapeutic spectrum.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What distinctions does the article make between optimism and related concepts like hope or courage?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The article explains that optimism is often used synonymously with terms such as hope, happiness, confidence, faith, belief, wish, and courage, but these words refer to different aspects of human experience, so optimism requires a clearer separate treatment.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Why does the article argue pessimism is more biologically supported than optimism?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It argues that humans are wired for pessimism because the body is designed to respond to sudden danger with fight-or-flight, and to rest between arousals, a pattern that can be poorly suited to modern life’s continuous stimulation and change.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},137592,1787423846,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":129,"read_time":144},687197207057,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","The Willing Suspension of Disbelief: Optimism  \nJ O S E P H M E L N I C K , P H . D . A N DS O N I A M A R C H N E V I S , P H . D . 1  \nA B S T R A C T  \nOptimism is embedded in every form of psychotherapy practice, from psychoanalysis to behavior modification. Our goal is to help clarify where Gestalt therapy’s theory and practice place it on the therapeutic spectrum. After first outlining our theoretical background, we explore various definitions of optimism, differentiating it from pessimism, hope, and courage. We then describe why we believe that psychotherapy is an inherently optimistic enterprise. Finally, after surveying the emerging field of positive psychology, specifically focusing on the work of Seligman, we discuss optimism using a Gestalt frame.  \nWe conclude that optimism is inherent in the Gestalt approach which, at its core, is about how to approach and embrace the unknown.  \nJoseph Melnick, Ph.D., is a faculty member of the Cape Cod Training Program, a couples and family therapist, an organizational consultant, and author of numerous articles and book chapters on intimacy, ethics, and small groups. He has taught worldwide and is the Editor of Gestalt Review.  \nSonia March Nevis, Ph.D., is a founder of the Gestalt International Study Center and the Center for the Study of Intimate Systems. She has practiced and taught Gestalt and family therapy concepts worldwide for 35 years, and she is the Chairperson of the Cape Cod Training Program.  \n1Many of the ideas in this article were first presented at the annual Writers’ Conferences of the Gestalt International Study Center and the European Association of Gestalt Therapists. We would like to thank the attendees for their support.  \n© 2005 Gestalt Intl Study Center  \nI N T R O D U C T I O N  \nSome say that the age of positive psychology is upon us. Theoreticians, researchers, healers, and educators all seem to be talking about the same thing—the beneficial effects that grow out of living positively. Whether we are taking about flow, an ability to enjoy the present moment (Csikszentmihalji, 1990); resilience, the courage to bounce back from adversity and defeat (Waller, 2001); the healing power of positive belief found in such diverse areas as religion (Miller and Thorensen, 2003) and placebo research (Saleebey, 2002); the benefits of positively approaching our most intimate others (Gottman, 1999); or the immediate change created by focusing on the strengths of an organization (Cooperrider, 1990), positive seems to be on people’s minds.  \nAt the core of positive psychology is one unifying concept, optimism. It seems as if it should be an easy concept to grasp, but it is, in fact, quite a complex and multidimensional construct. One problem is that it is often used synonymously with words such as hope, happiness, confidence, faith, belief, wish, and courage which, in fact, refer to different aspects of our human experience. To complicate matters, optimism is used to describe a wide range of human phenomena. For example, at various times it refers to a physiological state, a psychological trait, an emotion, a thought pattern, a belief system, or a way of making meaning out of our experience.  \nLooking at optimism in these varied ways is quite useful in adding to our understanding of this concept. However, in this article we will emphasize a different perspective. We will discuss optimism as a process. More specifically, we view it as an orientation to the future, as a way of encountering the unknown.  \nOptimism/Pessimism  \nIt is our assertion that we are born with an ability to reach out and explore the unknown, that we are programmed with curiosity to engage with the uncertain future. This natural ability, if nurtured, results in a forward-leaning, open and interested orientation that we call an optimistic perspective.  \nHowever, we are also born with a polar tendency that we label pessimism. Rather than being expansive, a pessimistic process is narrowing. It is tense rather than","cbCaicHID5Xqvi06","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicHID5Xqvi06","pdf",132740,17,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Optimism/Pessimism\n## Our Purpose","[{\"question\":\"How does the article define optimism in relation to psychotherapy practice?\",\"answer\":\"Optimism is presented as embedded in psychotherapy across multiple modalities, and the paper focuses on how Gestalt therapy locates optimism within the therapeutic spectrum.\"},{\"question\":\"What distinctions does the article make between optimism and related concepts like hope or courage?\",\"answer\":\"The article explains that optimism is often used synonymously with terms such as hope, happiness, confidence, faith, belief, wish, and courage, but these words refer to different aspects of human experience, so optimism requires a clearer separate treatment.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the article argue pessimism is more biologically supported than optimism?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that humans are wired for pessimism because the body is designed to respond to sudden danger with fight-or-flight, and to rest between arousals, a pattern that can be poorly suited to modern life’s continuous stimulation and change.\"}]","The Willing Suspension of Disbelief - Optimism | PDF",43]