Some consider themselves responsible for their fate, others attribute successes and failures to external circumstances beyond their control.
There is a German fairy tale. The husband sent his wife to the cellar for wine, but she still does not return. Then he goes after her and sees that his wife is sitting on the steps and sobbing. It turned out that on the way she suddenly imagined how they would someday have a son, grow up, his father would send him to the cellar for wine, the boy would fall there and break his neck.
This is a classic example of pessimist reasoning. The expectation of trouble always sounds stronger in him than faith in one’s own strength and hope for a favorable outcome. And, what is most unpleasant, sometimes in this way the pessimist really manages to “cause trouble”. Is it possible to get the opposite result?
Much depends on how exactly we explain to ourselves the reasons for our successes and failures. Some consider themselves responsible for their fate, others attribute successes and failures to external circumstances beyond their control. Numerous studies have shown that the first, «responsible», achieve greater success than the second, fatalists.
The former work hard because they believe that the results depend on their efforts, and do not stop working when faced with difficulties, because they consider any problems surmountable. The second, those who attribute success to external reasons (acquaintances, luck), even if they achieve the goal, do not consider themselves entitled to be proud of it. Therefore, fatalists are less striving for achievements and are more inclined to be guided by the principle «they do not seek good from good.»
And yet, if you really want to believe in fate, then it is better — in a happy one. American researchers conducted an experiment with three groups of students, approximately equal in ability*. Participants in the first group were asked to write an essay on the topic: “My life in ten years, if everything goes as well as possible and all my goals are achieved.” The second group wrote an essay “How will I live in ten years if circumstances are extremely unfavorable and I fail to achieve any of my goals.” The third was given the task to describe in detail the process of washing clothes. At the end of the work, all three groups were offered mathematical tasks of the same complexity.
In the end, the group that imagined success did best, and those who imagined failure did the worst. The result of those who focused on washing was average. The moral is simple: do not forget to remind yourself of your successes and achievements and often say: «We will succeed.»
* H. Marcus, P. Nurius «Possible Selves». American Psychologist, 1986, vol. 41.