NPR 10-26:A Positive Outlook Is Overrated 人人都应以自己的态度方式来面对生活

Psychologist Barbara Held of Maine believes that a little kvetching makes for a better outlook on life.

I believe in mystery.
I believe in family.
I believe in being who I am.
I believe in the power of failure.
And I believe normal life is extraordinary.
This I Believe.

When you are feeling down, you are often told to cheer up. But that's usually not as easy as it sounds. Today, for our series This I Believe, we have an essay from Brabara Held, professor of psychology¹ at Bowdoin College in Maine. She says maybe cheering up is not necessary. Held is a clinical psychologist and she counseled people for 15 years. Her special interest is coping mechanisms² in alternative ways of dealing³ with stress. Here is our series curator, independent producer Jay Alison.

One of the few guidelines for our series that we inherited from Edward R. Murrow and his team is that statements of belief must be affirmative, in other words, you can't write about what you don't believe. That doesn't mean however that statements must be positive. As you'll hear from Barbra Held self-described as the queen of kvetching with her essay for This I Believe.

Many Americans insist that everyone have a positive attitude even when the going gets rough. From the self-help bookshelves to the Complaint-Free World Movement. The power of positive thinking is touted⁴ now more than ever as the way to be happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise. The problem is this demand for good cheer brings with it a one-two punch for those of us who can not cope in that way. First you feel bad about whatever's getting you down, then you feel guilty or defective⁵ if you can't smile and look on the bright side, and I'm not even sure there always is a bright side to look on. I believe that there is no one right way to cope with all the pain of living. As an academic psychologist, I know that people have different temperaments⁶ and if we are prevented from coping in our own way, be it postive or negative, we funcion less well. As a psychotherapist, I know that sometimes a lot of what people need when faced with adversity is permission to feel crummy for a while. To realize that feeling bad is not automatically the same as being mentally ill. Some of my one-session curers have come for reminding people that life can be difficult and it's OK if we are not happy all the time. This last point first became apparent to me in 1986. I came down with the flu accompanied by searing headache that lasted weeks after. Eventually a neurologist told me that a strain of flu that winter had left many people...

1 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

2 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

5 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。

6 temperaments   

性格( temperament的名词复数 )； （人或动物的）气质； 易冲动； （性情）暴躁

参考例句：

• The two brothers have exactly opposite temperaments: one likes to be active while the other tends to be quiet and keep to himself. 他们弟兄两个脾气正好相反， 一个爱动，一个好静。
• For some temperaments work is a remedy for all afflictions. 对于某些人来说，工作是医治悲伤的良药。