Assessing Negative Events
So, the saying goes, how you see something can make all the difference.
This study of two ways people assess negative events in life.
One possibility is to rethink the event to find the silver lining. This kind of reappraisal turns what seems to be a negative into a positive, or at least something less negative.
A second possibility is to disengage from the situation. By focusing your attention elsewhere, you dull the negative impact of the event on yourself.
The way I have set up this discussion suggests that people use both strategies, but they engage them in different situations.
The data came out as expected.
When faced with a minor negative event, people preferred to reappraise the situation than to disengage from it. When faced with a major negative event, people preferred to disengage from the situation than to reappraise it.
Although this choice of strategy may help to protect a person from negative mood, it does have a consequence.
If you are in a situation you need to remember a negative event and to learn from it, then you may need to focus on it rather than disengage.
Psychology Today
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