Defensive Pessimism

Defensive pessimism is a cognitive coping strategy in which a person deliberately sets a low expectation for an upcoming performance, regardless of how well they have done in similar situations before, and then mentally rehearses the obstacles that could go wrong. Psychologist Nancy Cantor and her students identified the strategy in the mid-1980s, and Julie Norem later developed the measurement tools used to study it. It works through three linked steps: imagining negative scenarios ahead of time, which prompts practical preparation such as bringing notes or water to a talk; lowering expected outcomes so that any better result feels like a relief rather than a letdown; and using the resulting anxiety productively, since reflecting on what could go wrong lets a person plan countermeasures instead of freezing up.