Spotlight on The Pollyanna Principle for Better Thinking and Mental Health
Nick Lechnir, ACB, CPD
Vice President Education TM - Learning and Development Administrator at Optum Serve
The Pollyanna Principle is a traditional, often tragic fallacy of ethos, which automatically and falsely assumes that everyone else in any given place, time and circumstance had or has basically the same positive wishes, desires, interests, concerns, ethics and moral code as "we" do.
This fallacy practically if not theoretically denies both the reality of difference and the human capacity to choose radical evil. For example, arguing that "The only thing most Nazi Storm Troopers wanted was the same thing we do, to live in peace and prosperity and to have a good family life," when the reality was radically otherwise.
Dr. William Lorimer offers this explanation: "The Projection Bias is the flip side of the 'They're Not Like Us' (Othering) fallacy. The Projection bias fallacy is 'They're just people like me, therefore they must be motivated by the same things that motivate me.'"
For example: "I would never pull a gun and shoot a police officer unless I was convinced that he was trying to murder me; therefore, when Joe Smith shot a police officer, he must have been in genuine fear for his life."
We see the same fallacy with regard to Israel: "The people of Gaza just want to be left in peace; therefore, if Israel would just lift the blockade and allow Hamas to import anything they want, without restriction, they would stop firing rockets at Israel."
That may or may not be true. Some people believe it and some don't for various reasons. But the argument clearly presumes that the people of Gaza, or at least their leaders, are motivated by a desire for peaceful co-existence. We don't know that.
The Pollyanna Principle was portrayed in the classic twentieth-century American animated cartoon series, "The Flintstones," in which the humor lay in the absurdity of picturing Stone Age characters having the same concerns, values and lifestyles as mid-twentieth century white working-class Americans. It's pretty ridiculous when you think about it.
Note: The Pollyanna Principle fallacy should not be confused with a psychological principle of the same name which observes that positive memories are usually retained more strongly than negative ones.
See also:
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How have you seen the Pollyanna Principle or Projection Bias in your life? It's actually pretty common in everyday conflicts between people in relationships. Have you spotted it when it shows up?
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Always keep leaping forward,
NJ
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1 个月Been thinking about the difference between Pollyanna and Critical thinkers. The former, to me, is annoying and translates to a lack of intellectual capacity. Blind acceptance of reality. The latter extreme is annoying as well. Constant critique of everyone's actions can be overwhelming. Perhaps I am confusing100% positivity to 100% negativity? Strikes me, I wonder, if you can strive to be in the middle? My sister sits perfectly in the middle. Sees reality much of the time...yet opts for pollyannism with other things.