Negativity/ Pessimism
Early Maladaptive Schemas
Negativity/ Pessimism
Early Maladaptive Schemas
Do you tend to see the negative side of things? Maybe you like to plan for worst-case scenarios so you’re prepared? Perhaps you think you are a realist, but other people think you’re cynical? If so, you might have the negativity/pessimism schema.
To answer any questions you may have regarding this schema, this article will cover the following topics:
- What the negativity/pessimism schema is
- The causes of the negativity/pessimism schema
- Signs of the negativity/pessimism schema in childhood and adulthood
- How the negativity/pessimism schema affects a person’s life
- Treatment methods for the negativity/pessimism schema
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What Is the Negativity/ Pessimism Schema?
The negativity/pessimism schema is one of 18 early maladaptive schemas (EMS). People with this schema tend to exaggerate or dwell on the negative aspects of life while minimizing or ignoring the positive. They tend to expect that everything will go badly wrong. This can lead to indecisiveness, catastrophic thinking, hypervigilance, and feelings of anxiety.
What Causes the Negativity/ Pessimism Schema?
In general, early maladaptive schemas develop in childhood when a primary caregiver is not attuned to their child’s needs. Typically, the negativity/pessimism schema develops for one of two reasons. Most often it is because the caregivers have the same schema. Throughout the child’s life, the caregivers may have consistently highlighted the negative or more worrying aspects of life, passing this belief onto their children. This may have also resulted in the caregivers discouraging the child’s efforts in more ambitious undertakings in a bid to protect them from disappointment.
The negativity/pessimism schema can also occur if the child experiences a lot of adversity and hardship. Examples of adversity and hardship are that they may have lost their family home, their caregivers may have been unable to get stable employment, or they may have developed a chronic illness. Growing up with a lot of adversity would lead the child to believe that in general things tend to go badly for them.
Additionally, children who have experienced abuse, bullying, or traumatic challenges tend to look for external validation through peer approval and/or recognition.
Signs of the Negativity/ Pessimism Schema
It is normal to see the negative side of things occasionally. However, focusing on the negative and minimizing or ignoring the positive all the time is not healthy and can cause issues in our daily lives.
The signs of the negativity/pessimism schema in childhood and adulthood are as follows:
Negativity/ Pessimism Schema in Childhood
Children with the negativity/pessimism schema tend to focus on the negative. As such they may show pessimism and lack of hope over small everyday things. For example, if they are saving their pocket money to buy a toy, they may worry that the toy will be sold out before they buy it. They also believe that everything will go badly wrong and have a tendency to catastrophize. For example, if they are going to play in a new park, they may worry they will get hurt, and if they do hurt themselves, they may worry that they will die.
Having the negativity/pessimism schema may curb older children and adolescents from putting themselves forward for activities and competitions. They may feel like there is no point in trying and if they do engage, they may not invest their whole effort. This allows them to explain away any possible disappointment easily by saying they never fully tried.
Negativity/ Pessimism Schema in Adults
Adults with the negativity/pessimism schema tend to have strong expectations that things will go badly wrong. They tend to catastrophize the situation they are in and expect the worst-case scenario to occur. In fact, they may even prefer to think of worst-case scenarios in order to prevent them or prepare themselves for when such things happen. This can lead to becoming hypervigilant to signs that something will go wrong. They may feel if they are not vigilant they are allowing things to go wrong.
Making decisions can also be difficult, as the wrong choice can result in hypothetical disaster. For example, in the mind of someone with the negativity/pessimism schema, a bad decision in the workplace could lead to being fired, even if this is unlikely. As such, they may tend to avoid making decisions and are indecisive when they have to. They may spend a lot of time worrying over the consequences of getting it wrong.
Given that those with the negativity/pessimism schema tend to look on the negative side of life, they may find happy or joyful situations uncomfortable. They may feel anxious whenever things are going well because they are “waiting for the other shoe to drop”. They may feel that they are safeguarding themselves from inevitable disappointment by thinking this way, however they are also diminishing their experience of joy. Due to this, these individuals may feel hopeless and sad.
People with the negativity/pessimism schema may find it difficult to develop and maintain close friendships. This is because others may pull away from them due to their constant negativity. Due to their lack of close network and their constant worry and hypervigilance, someone with the negativity/pessimism schema may feel a great deal of stress in their everyday lives. In order to feel better and relax, they may develop unhealthy coping strategies; most commonly drug or food misuse.
Negativity/ Pessimism Schema Test
If you would like to know how you would score on this maladaptive schema, as well as the others, you can take the test on maladaptive schemas here:
How People Cope With the Negativity/ Pessimism Schema
People with the negativity/ pessimism schema fall into one of three main ways of coping when triggered – avoidance, overcompensation, or surrendering.
Avoidance
Those with the negativity/ pessimism schema may try to deal with it by avoiding anything that triggers it. They may do this by isolating themselves from others and not engaging in activities that they wish to do well in. Such individuals may hide at home and spend their time on passive entertainment, such as watching TV or scrolling social media. They may also procrastinate on making meaningful decisions. While they may recognise that their behaviors are unhelpful, they may feel unmotivated to change due to hopelessness.
Overcompensation
It is not uncommon for people with the negativity/ pessimism schema to overcompensate for their beliefs. They may act in ways contrary to their tendency to focus on the negative. This often takes the form of toxic positivity, i.e. believing that someone must remain positive and upbeat regardless of their situation. They may hide how they really feel and pretend everything is fine when things go wrong. Furthermore they may feel guilty whenever they do see the negative side of things or feel negative emotions. Such individuals may also inadvertently distance themselves from others, as they are unable to connect with them during emotionally difficult times. Instead of authentic connection, they typically offer others positive affirmations, such as “stay positive” or “look at the bright side”. This continuous upbeat viewpoint is not sustainable nor healthy. Additionally, continuously repressing emotions has been shown to have a negative impact upon physical health.
Surrendering
Some may deal with their negativity/ pessimism schema by surrendering to it. These people focus on the negative and firmly believe that things will always go wrong. Typically they self-proclaim they are realists. They may be prone to complaining, worrying, and expecting the worst.
Negativity/ Pessimism Treatment / Therapy
Those with the negativity/pessimism schema may need help developing a more positively-focused mindset and alternative coping strategies for dealing with disappointment. Schema Therapy focuses on the therapeutic relationship and the experiences of early childhood to challenge maladaptive schemas, like the negativity/pessimism schema. It is important to note that while maladaptive schemas are difficult to change, with perseverance, consistency, and appropriate treatment, it is completely possible to improve.
Adaptive Strategies
Learn about yourself
The single most helpful thing you can do to change your schema is to notice when it is most triggered. Make a list of when you feel the most negative and/or pessimistic. For example, is it within work or your personal relationships? By doing this you will become aware of when you are most likely to succumb to your schema and be better able to challenge your thinking when you are in these situations.
Challenge your rationale
The fears that arise from the negativity/ pessimism schema are not rooted in reality, even if they came from past experiences. Therefore, it is important to notice if you have a tendency to jump to worst-case scenarios and to confront these thoughts. It is also vital to recognize that worse-case scenarios are rarely inevitable or representative of the present situation.
While bad things do happen, it is unlikely that they will happen every time. Make a list of your negative predictions and track whether they come true. Make notes on when things did not go wrong and refer back to them when you are triggered. Consider how rational your schema is and challenge it with the evidence you have gathered.
Notice the difference in your mood when you decide to lean into a positive focus instead of a negative one. Recognise that anticipating disaster does not lessen disappointment if things do go wrong. It only lessens your joy before things go wrong. Given that things won’t always go wrong, think of how much joy you are missing out on. Choosing to focus on the positive, while not ignoring the negative, will be more beneficial to you in the long-run.
Change focus
“Say something positive, and you’ll see something positive”
-Jim Thompson
Having the negativity/pessimism schema doesn’t just mean you focus on the negative, it also means you minimize or ignore the positive. Make a list of things that have gone well for you. It may be difficult to think of some examples at first, but try to persevere. Add to this list over time when you can remember more things and refer to it when your schema is triggered.
Focusing on the negative trains our brains to spot the negative more easily and quickly than the positive. You can counteract this by practicing gratitude. Each day list three things you are grateful for and remember how they made you feel. For example, you could be grateful your train arrived on time, or that you have leftovers for lunch. Whenever you get into the habit of practicing gratitude you will begin noticing the good things in your life more often.
Be kind to yourself
It may feel strange at first, but when you catch yourself thinking negative and pessimistic thoughts, try talking to yourself internally. Remember that you developed this schema as a child to make sense of your experiences, so talk to yourself kindly, like you would a child. You might reassure yourself by saying something like: “I know bad things have happened in the past and you’re worried about being disappointed. However, you don’t know for sure that something bad will happen this time and even if it does, you will be able to handle it.” This sort of self-talk takes time and consistency, but can be very effectful.
Be mindful of your behaviors
Complaining reminds you of the negative aspects of life. However, you may not realize that you complain a lot because it has become a habit. Try to stop. Ask yourself if you have been using complaining as a way of indirectly asking for what you want. Each time you feel this is the case, try being more direct. For example, instead of saying to someone “It’s too cold and I can’t reach the door”, try “Please can you close the door for me?”
Spend time with others who have a healthy positive viewpoint and try to engage in activities that you enjoy. With these activities, try and focus on enjoying the process rather than worrying about the outcome. Similarly, be aware of when you are avoiding opportunities for growth and acclamation. Make the choice to act on these opportunities instead of shying away from them. Give them your full attention and treat them as experiments to see how things go.
Seek therapy
If you have the negativity/ pessimism schema, you may need help changing your mindset while also dealing with the inevitable ups and downs of life. The most ideal place to receive this help is from within a therapeutic relationship. But keep in mind that a schema develops over many years. While treatment cannot necessarily “cure” you, it can give you the necessary tools to better manage your thoughts and feelings.
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