ABSTRACT
Up until the end of the 1970s optimism was considered to be a psychological deficit, a sign of immaturity or weakness of character while making a balanced even-handed appraisal of one's future prospects was considered to be a sign of mental health, maturity and strength (Petersen, 2000a). This negative view of optimism is to be found in the work of Voltaire (1759), whose Dr Pangloss naively insisted that we live in the best of all possible worlds, Porter's (1913) Pollyanna, who celebrated misfortune, and Sigmund Freud's (1928) analysis of religion as an optimistic illusion.
