Abstract
This article describes a
scale measuring dispositional optimism, defined in terms of generalized outcome expectancies.
Two preliminary studies assessed the scale's psychometric properties and its
relationships with several other instruments. The scale was then used in a longitudinal study
of symptom reporting among a group of undergraduates. Specifically, respondents were asked to
complete three questionnaires 4 weeks before the end of a semester. Included in the
questionnaire battery was the measure of optimism, a measure of private self-consciousness, and
a 39-item physical symptom checklist. Subjects completed the same set of questionnaires again
on the last day of class. Consistent with predictions, subjects who initially reported being
highly optimistic were subsequently less likely to report being bothered by symptoms (even
after correcting for initial symptom-report levels) than were subjects who initially reported
being less optimistic. This effect tended to be stronger among persons high in private
self-consciousness than among those lower in private self-consciousness. Discussion centers on
other health related applications of the optimism scale, and the relationships between our
theoretical orientation and several related theories.
