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#201B  WISHFUL THINKING
I am something of an intuitive thinker. I can firmly believe, with complete confidence and trust, in something for which there’s little or no evidence, and certainly no proof. I can deny Reality and believe in something if doing so provides hope or useful psychological advantage (example: belief in an afterlife. I sometimes interpret events / actions of others, and make decisions, based on what I’d like to be true, rather than what is true. I can delude myself— I see it as adopting healthy beliefs which promote my —and perhaps my family's or loved ones —continued psychological well-being. I am a hopeful optimist!

More Information About This Worldview Theme--note this table is under construction, last update: December 2020

a diamond WV Theme...

...individual <---> knowledge

the theme is paired with: #201A Evidence-Based    to make Choice #1    in the Choices We Make cards 

this theme as presented in older version of theme structure:        is this theme new to version 4?--YES

click to look at the Project Worldview Cultural Literacy Encyclopedia Related Words, Beliefs, Background articles for the above choice 

 Project Worldview authored discussion, Worldview Watch related issues, songs, etc.  
Worldview Watch issue #63, posted 4/12/2020 The Faith-Based Challenge to Corona Virus Response 
Worldview Watch #62, posted 12/19/2019 The Sad State of American Democracy

Wikipedia articles related to this theme:

Wishful Thinking Faith Faith and Rationality
Denial Self-Deception Theory of Mind
False Belief Optimism Bias Optimism
Positive Psychology Pseudohistory toxic positivity

 worldview internal inconsistency related: Strongly valuing this theme and any of the themes in the list below is a contradiction:

#1B Skeptic   #3 Cultural Evolution--Yes! #5A   Scientific Materialism #6A Orderly & Explicable
#6B   Scientific Method #13  In Human/Computer Hands:  Dancing With Systems        #18B Dispassionate   #36A Cynicism
#46A Technological Fix #46B Military Backers  
   

More to Explore -- Worldview Theme #201B:  Faith & Wishful Thinking
Stages of faith chart based on James Fowler 1981 book Stages of Faith
A 2012 Critical Assessment of James Fowler’s Faith Development Theory  
2008 review by Susan Troy of James Fowler’s Stages of Faith book
Interpretation of James Fowler’s on “The Development of Faith”
  Denial: Self Deception, False Beliefs, and the Origins of the Human Mind, by Ajit Varki and Danny Brower (this 2013 book argues that denying death's finality by believing in an afterlife helped the human mind develop) 
Faith and Facts by Greg Koukl  (Christian perspective)
Faith vs. Facts by T. Luhrmann   (Opinion piece in New York Times  Apr 18 2015)

"David Brooks’s Journey Toward Faith" By Peter Wehner  (his path between doubt and belief , The Atlantic May 7 2019)

“The rightwing Christian preachers in deep denial over Covid-19's danger”  by Jason Wilson (article in The Guardian about those “claiming the virus can be defeated by faith in God” April 4 2020) 
“Your Brain 'Shields' Itself from the Existential Threat of Death” By Yasemin Saplakoglu  (post on livescience.com  Oct 25 2019)
“Seeing the Bright Side: Why Art is the Antidote for Our Times”  by Ava DuVernay  (guest oped in Time Feb 18 2019)
"Magical Thinking and Mental Disorders" by Lisa Fritscher ( post on Very Well Mind website Nov 29 2017)
"Psychosomatic Medicine: Think Yourself Well" (news re research from report The Economist Dec 8 2012)
“Report on Huge MIT Study of Fake News: Falsehoods Win on Twitter”  by Robinson Meyer  (report in The Atlantic Dec 2 2019) 
 
 

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