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Optimism (LOT-R)

Psychology: Mental Health1 sample item

About this scale

Optimism is a positive attitude about the future. In the field of psychology, optimism is viewed as a general way of thinking that can be beneficial to, for example, health outcomes. The Scheier and Carver paper from 1992 ( see references ) is a really good read about this topic. The Life Orientation Test quantifies optimism, and the revised version (LOT-R) demonstrated here is an improved version of the original with 10 likert-style items questions. Unusu

Sample item(s)

“Survey code includes 11 item lines. Open PsyToolkit to review wording and permissions.”

Notes

Psychology field scale. Check the PsyToolkit page and original paper for use rights before fielding.

Source & citation

Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1992). Effects of optimism on psychological and physical well-being: Theoretical overview and empirical update. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16 , 201-228. | Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem) - A revaluation of the life orientation test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67 , 1063-1078.

Optimism
A really good web comic about optimism and pessimism (3x a week)

Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.

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