DISCUSSION TEXT "OPTIMISTS VS PESSIMISTS"

DISCUSSION TEXT ‘Optimists vs Pessimists’

Have you ever heard the expression that a glass is half full or half empty? If not, imagine that you are looking at a glass that filled exactly halfway with liquid. Now, is the glass half full or half empty are called pessimists. In simple terms, optimists see the best in the world, while pessimists see the worst.

One of the clearest ways to see the differences between the two is to look at the way optimists and pessimists explain events. When something bad happens, optimists tend to see the event as a single event which does not affect other areas of their lives. For example, Ratu is an optimistic person. When she gets a low grade on test, she will say something like this to herself: “Oh well that was one test I didn’t do well on. I wasn’t feeling well that day. I have another test in a few days. I’ll do better on that one.

Pessimists, on the other hand, will feel that an event is just one of a string of bad events affecting their lives and that they’re somehow the cause of it. Let’s take a look at Puja. She is pessimist. When she gets a low grade on test, she might say: “I failed again. I never do well on test. I’m stupid. I should just quit trying.” And when something does go well for Puja, she often attributes her success to luck. She may say, “I was just lucky that time,” and she doesn’t expect to do well again. Well optimists don’t see themselves as failures, pessimists do.

Research has shown that optimism can be a learned trait and that, despite their upbringing, people can train themselves to respond to events in more positive terms. For example, Jagat has a tendency to react negatively to events. The first thing he has to do become conscious of that behavior. One he identifies how he is reacting, he can reframe his thoughts in more positive terms, as Ratu did when she failed the test. As Jagat begins to do more of this, he forms new patterns of response, and over time these responses become more automatic. Gradually he can develop a more positive outlook on life.

What about you? How do you see life? Is the glass half full or half empty?

 

TASK: Complete the sentences with information from the text above, number one is done for you.

1. Optimists think positively about life, while pessimists thinks negatively about life.
2. An optimist may do poorly on test; nevertheless, ______________________________________________
3. Thing sometimes go well for a pessimist; however _____________________________________
4. Pessimists see themselves as failure; on other hand, ____________________________________
5. Optimists don’t see a singe event affecting other areas of their lives; nonetheless, _____________
6. Optimists see the best in the world; however,__________________________________________

Source: Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris Kelas XII kelompok peminatan ilmu bahasa dan budaya. Page 118-119

Edited by: Ms. Muzhidah, S.Pd