ABSTRACT

The field of international relations has been described as a discipline rooted in pessimism. This stems from misunderstanding optimism and from downplaying the negative consequences of pessimism. Insights from the psychological literature on optimism challenge these assumptions. In particular, the optimism-pessimism binary needs to be broken down and optimism seen as a healthy middle state between overconfident risk-taking and debilitating pessimism. There are proven techniques that could be used by those working in international relations to promote an optimistic outlook to help avoid falling into despondency. The field will limit the ability of its scholars, practitioners and students to contribute to solving problems if it ties itself to pessimism.

摘要

国际关系领域被描述为一门植根于悲观主义的学科。这源于对乐观主义的误解和淡化悲观主义的负面后果。来自乐观主义心理学文献的见解对这些假设提出了挑战。特别是，乐观主义和悲观主义的二元性需要被打破，乐观主义被视为过度自信的冒险和衰弱的悲观主义之间的一种健康的中间状态。那些从事国际关系工作的人可以使用一些行之有效的技巧来促进乐观的前景，从而避免陷入沮丧。如果该领域与悲观主义联系在一起，它将限制其学者、从业者和学生为解决问题做出贡献的能力。