Optimism (dispositional)
Also known as: Dispositional optimism
The stable trait of generally expecting good things to happen.
What it means
Dispositional optimism is the relatively stable individual difference in the generalized expectation that good rather than bad outcomes will occur across life domains. Distinct from the optimism bias (a near-universal distortion in specific risk estimates), it is a trait measured by instruments like the Life Orientation Test and is tied to how people pursue goals: optimists expect success, so they persist, engage in active and approach-oriented coping, and disengage from unattainable goals more adaptively. It predicts better physical health, faster recovery, greater subjective well-being, and more durable relationships, partly through these coping pathways. Critics note overlap with low neuroticism and the risks of optimism when it discourages prudent precaution. It matters because this stable expectancy shapes motivation, persistence, risk behavior, and resilience in the face of setbacks.
Examples
Facing a tough diagnosis, a dispositional optimist actively follows treatment and stays engaged, expecting things to work out, rather than withdrawing.
Two graduates get the same rejection letter. The optimist rewrites the CV and sends five more applications that week; the pessimist concludes the market is closed and stops opening the job site.
An optimistic founder whose product line is plainly going nowhere is often quicker to shut it down and start the next thing. Expecting success somewhere else makes letting go easier, not harder.
First described in Scheier & Carver (1985).