Optimists and pessimists have different degrees of internal harmony and balance.

Optimism tends to cause a person to expand their connections to themself, other persons, and the world.

Pessimism tends to cause people to shrink their worlds, running the risk of their worlds collapsing.

William James offers a robust description of how a pessimist is vulnerable to "pathological melancholy."

What are the differences between optimists and pessimists? While there are some stark differences between the two types of people, it turns out that each of us is often a mixture of optimism and pessimism. The balance can shift many times over a lifetime. Many who presently are struggling with addiction and those in recovery may recognize how this balance shifts. So, too, will those who have struggled with acute or chronic anguish.

Optimists and pessimists differ significantly in the degree of unity and harmony within their own person and with the broader world. According to William James (1842-1910), we human beings have multiple selves or aspects that can be harmonious or discordant. Each person has material, social, and spiritual dimensions.

The material dimensions include our bodies, family members, clothes, and prized or hard-earned possessions such as a house.

Our social selves are a........

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