Prevailing beliefs and attitudes, particularly in the West, encourage researchers and lay people alike to think almost exclusively in terms of the costs of pessimism and the benefits of optimism. This volume provides a forum in which leading, scholars, researchers, and practitioners involved with the study of optimism and pessimism are given the opportunity to examine these beliefs. The result is a critical survey that enables readers to recognize the impotance of balance in understanding the relative powers of both optimism and pessimism. With a focus on the practical implications for therapy, contributors provide reviews of the empirical foundations of these constructs. Particularly valuable is an examination of cultural, biological, and psychological factors on optimism amd pessimism. Through the diversity of views presented, the editor illustrates a dynamic interplay between optimism and pessimism that reflects the fundamental tension and harmony found in life.