Thoughts on Depressive Realism?

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This is a theory that claims people with depression have a more realistic worldview than people who are non-depressed since they may put a “positive spin” on things.

Here is the Wikipedia article on it: Depressive realism - Wikipedia

When participants were asked to press a button and rate the control they perceived they had over whether or not a light turned on, depressed individuals made more accurate ratings of control than non-depressed individuals.[6] Among participants asked to complete a task and rate their performance without any feedback, depressed individuals made more accurate self-ratings than non-depressed individuals.[7][8][9][10] For participants asked to complete a series of tasks, given feedback on their performance after each task, and who self-rated their overall performance after completing all the tasks, depressed individuals were again more likely to give an accurate self-rating than non-depressed individuals.[11][12][13][14][15][16] When asked to evaluate their performance both immediately and some time after completing a task, depressed individuals made accurate appraisals both immediately before and after time had passed.[17]

What are your thoughts on this?
 
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I think you should stop reading this tripe.
There is so much uplifting reading material, stop trying to justify these ideas, as they don’t ever help.

Be at peace. Many are praying for you!
 
Even if depression is beneficial in this manner, the evil brought by the malady far outweighs it.
 
pianistclare said:
I think you should stop reading this tripe.

There is so much uplifting reading material
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I think you might have just given credence to his theory…
Don’t read it, even if it’s true, because it might make you sad.
 
It depends on what one means by “more realistic worldview”.

The average saint was a very happy and joyful person…because they see this world and its little troubles in a supernatural light. Their view is more “real” than the atheist!

They know how to “convert” the ordinary, into meetings with Jesus Christ…and so because they are more closely united with God, they are more happy and joyful.
 
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As someone who actually battled with Clinical Deppression…how do I put this, (besides laughing hysterically?)
When one is deppressed there is absolutely NO sense of common reality,
You are fighting to just stay alive, to find something positive and meaningful. You struggle to actually get out of bed or off the floor. You pray that the medicine you took is actually the one that is going to work. Or that the dosage is correct. Because it takes 2 weeks to see if it is. And 2 weeks to come off it and try again with something else. Meanwhile there are the side effects. They can include sucidal thoughts and actions, weight gain, insommnia, sleepiness, etc…
So, who or whatever came up with that “theory,” is dangerously and gravely incorrect.
 
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I think the theory is only for “milder” depression. But then again, I guess that would be a red flag for the theory since it is trying to make an arbitrary line between “Too depressed to be true” and “Just the right amount of depression to hold the truth”
 
Were you concerned that this theory was valid? I am simply curious. I was pointing out the flaws of the theory. Not yours in particular. God Bless
 
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Yes, I was. But the facts seem to be quickly building up that it’s not a good theory.
 
I looked at the authoresses behind that theory. Their hypothesis came out in the 1970’s! That was almost 50 years ago.
Why the interest? My brother in Christ, are you deppressed?
 
It’s probably because they view themselves in a lower light, so they say they have less control.
But, what if they were given much control over whether the light went on? I feel they would be lower than accurate.

But, Catholicism rightly hates the world. But, we are not pessimists at all, but can be full of supernatural joy.
 
Although one of my favorite characters is Eeyore, that isn’t depression, per se.

I myself find it impossible to be depressed when contemplating God’s love for us.

I read the Wiki. There are a lot of logical holes in it, not the least of which have already been pointed out. It really sounds like a theory in search of a grant.
 
Also…

Are the people who conduct the tests depressed themselves?
What are they basing ‘True’ and ‘False’ on for theses tests?
Who has the authority to label something a “positive illusion” and what are they basing it on?

These are things to consider I guess.
 
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@BenSinner, what was your motivation for looking this up? I sense you are struggling with something.
 
I think depression can make you more aware of things. It can make you deeply aware of whats missing in your life. It can force you to face deeper questions about reality because all the normal functions of daily human existence no longer sustains you. You can come to realize that man cannot live by bread alone. When things are going well and life is a laugh you can be oblivious to what life is really about or whats really valuable. You can become anesthetized to the deep questions so much so that such philosophical considerations are irrelevant and life doesn’t really evolve beyond the pleasure that you experience.

But such is not always the case. Depression can make you nihilistic or more atheistic.There are rich kids and rich business men that commit suicide. And there are relatively happy people who value deep philosophical thinking and have valuable insight into things. So it can go either way.

I think it depends on the kind of person you are in the first place.
 
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I’ve seen it brought up a few times by others who are pessimistic. I have OCD, so seeing a theory that states that my negative emotions could be a true reflection of reality was a cause for concern.

But it seems like a bogus theory now that I really think about it.
 
My Brother/Sister in Christ,
I am sorry for your burden. I have known a few people with OCD. I am glad you looked at the theory again. GOD BLESS
 
It doesn’t make sense. Optimism, whether you are religious or not, depressed or not, should be the goal. Perceptions are just that, perceptions. I choose optimism.
 
Who said it wasn’t the goal to be optimisic? I take it you have never been diagnosed with clinical deppression or a mental illness?
 
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I have clinical depression
A generalized anxiety disorder and
had two OCDs in the past.
 
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