Optimism and Pessimism in Elementary School-Aged Children

FISCHER, MARIELLEN, and LEITENBERG, HAROLD. Optimism and Pessimism in Elementary SchoolAged Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1986, 57, 241-248. A study of young children's expectancies about their general success or failure in adult life revealed that the overwhelming majority were quite optimistic and minimally pessimistic. There were no sex differences and no age differences in either optimism or pessimism within this predominantly Caucasian sample of 9-13-year-olds. A psychometric analysis indicated that optimism and pessimism could be considered as separate factors rather than as opposite poles of a single factor. There was also a stronger negative association between pessimism and self-esteem than a positive association between optimism and self-esteem. Finally, children's optimism or pessimism about their distant future was not related to their current social success or failure, as measured by their popularity with peers.