Martin Seligman's ABCDE Technique - An Evaluation of Preeti Shenoy's Life is What You Make it

An instinctive optimist fundamentally grasps the potential, aptitude and capability to retort and respond to every sole unanticipated and unimagined hostile condition that life casts, via affirmative and constructive angles, while an instinctive pessimist weakens as an outcome of the supremacy of negative thoughts, views and perspectives. Optimism generates courage and confidence to tackle adverse and painful situations positively, hence the urgency to foster an optimistic attitude for a sustained and quality life. This paper examines the learned optimistic attitude of Preeti Shenoy, a protagonist in Ankita Sharma's novel Life is What You Make it based on a congenial concept called learned optimism proposed by the optimistic American psychologist Martin Seligman concerning his ABCDE (Adversity, Belief, Consequence, Disputation and Distraction, Energisation) technique. Ankita Sharma afflicted with bipolar disorder resolves to renounce her life as she lacks sufficient audacity to combat it. But, learning, acquiring and finding the dexterity to handle her misfortune affirmatively and progressively, generates her hopefulness and faith to challenge her disorder efficaciously.