Pub. date: 2007 | Online Pub. Date: October 03, 2007 | DOI:
10.4135/9781412956253 | Print ISBN: 9781412916707 | Online ISBN:
9781412956253| Publisher:SAGE Publications, Inc.About this
encyclopedia Jonathon D. Brown Positive illusions refers to a
set of three related beliefs that characterize the way people
think about (1) themselves, (2) their ability to control
environmental events, and (3) their future. Instead of being
evenhanded or balanced between the good and the bad, people are
unrealistically positive: They believe they have many more
positive than negative personal qualities, they exaggerate their
abilities to bring about desired outcomes, and they are overly
optimistic about their futures. If not too extreme, these
positive illusions promote psychological well-being and
psychological functioning. Accurate self-views were once thought
to be an essential feature of psychological well-being. It is
easy to see why. People who harbor delusions of grandeur or
believe they control the moon and stars are no