Is Malignant Optimism a Thing?

Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good. (Proverbs 19:8)

When I was young, Norman Vincent Peale and his Power of Positive Thinking was the self-help/religion of the time. Dr. Peale was a minister, but his Power of Positive Thinking had less to do with religion, and more to do with an outlook on life. Rev. Robert Schuller was a follower of Dr. Peale and used the same positive thinking/Christianity to build his Crystal Cathedral in California. Rev. Schuller took his positive message beyond the Cathedral to our television sets. Unfortunately, when Robert Schuller became too old to serve, and his son took over the ministry, his son must not have been positive enough. The Crystal Cathedral filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

Positive thinking is not the gospel because the truth is not found in its message. In her article “How ‘Malignant Optimism’ Kept Me in an Abusive Relationship,” Naya Lizardo defines it this way: “Malignant optimism is a state of mind where we allow ourselves to believe that things will eventually get better, despite persistent evidence that they won’t.” Unfortunately, the power of positive thinking is often a cruel message. It is like blaming the person whose prayer is not answered for not having enough faith; your dreams would have come true if you’d just been more positive (had more faith), not unlike poor Robert A. Schuller (the son) who couldn’t continue to keep the Crystal Cathedral from bankruptcy.

Lizardo helps us recognize malignant optimism by challenging us to see the “red flags.” We may succumb to malignant optimism when excusing poor behavior or negative situations. When “focusing on potential rather than reality,” we may succumb to malignant optimism. When we blame only ourselves for interpersonal problems with others or make excuses for other people’s bad behavior, we may succumb to malignant optimism. When we are the only ones “making a lot of sacrifices,” we may suffer from malignant optimism.

Malignant optimism is insidious because it diminishes our personhood a little bit at a time. Like the frog in the water, slowly coming to a boil, we often do not recognize how reduced our souls have become until it is too late. So today, think about those moments when persons or situations made you feel less than whole. What were the red flags? What sacrifices did you make that were not in your long-term best interest? Then, prayerfully ask God to help you see clearly and learn to trust your intuition again. The Holy Spirit works through your intuition, and you should never let someone take away your trust in yourself!