This article points out that forcing positive attitudes on patients can have a negative impact, critically reflects on whether positive attitudes actually help treat illnesses, and discusses the desirable attitudes that bystanders should exhibit toward patients.
At the turn of the 21st century, the keyword “positivity” began to rise to prominence. Positive thinking has become deeply ingrained in society, and its influence extends beyond everyday life to professional fields such as politics and economics. This sentiment has spread so rapidly that the belief that personal happiness and success depends solely on positive thinking has come to be regarded as an absolute truth. As a result, many people have fallen into the trap of believing that positive thinking can solve all problems. This belief extends beyond everyday concerns to more serious situations, and is found among patients battling illnesses, their families, friends, and even some in the medical community.
It’s not uncommon to see healthcare providers and friends trying to force a positive attitude on patients, which can have a negative effect on them. In particular, in the modern world, there is a widespread perception that a positive attitude is directly related to good health, and in a social atmosphere that does not allow for critical reflection, patients can easily feel psychological pressure. In this article, I would like to criticize the existing culture of imposing a positive attitude on patients and argue for the need to empathize with their suffering. First, I will prove that the idea that a positive attitude helps patients improve their condition is a false “rumor” that has not been proven medically. Then, we will criticize the practice of forcing positive attitudes on patients by showing how it harms them. Finally, we will discuss the importance of empathy as a desirable attitude for bystanders to adopt towards patients.
As mentioned above, there is no medical evidence to support the idea that forcing patients to maintain a positive attitude will help them cure their illnesses; in fact, it may even make them worse. In this case, we are referring to physical illnesses that are not related to mental illness and are caused by external factors, such as pathogenic invasions. It’s no wonder that positive thinking can help treat mental illnesses. However, physical illnesses are different. No matter how positive a patient thinks, it won’t cure the disease by boosting the patient’s immune system or eliminating pathogens. This is not to say that I’m advocating that patients should have a negative attitude. What I am saying is that there is nothing wrong with a patient being “positive” to begin with, but there is something wrong with the practice of making patients “pretend” to be positive. While it’s great if a patient has the mindset to fight and win their disease from the start, there are certainly patients who don’t. Forcing a positive attitude on patients who don’t have one won’t suddenly turn them into “positive patients”. In the process of applying external pressure to make them positive, you are putting mental pressure on them. Being forced to consciously speak and act positively, while keeping their pain inside, will definitely put a mental strain on them. Although some of them may become positive, a positive attitude does not cure the disease. In other words, this “unnecessary external pressure” only makes the patients carry a mental burden.
