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Table of Contents

History

Signs

Types

Implications

Related Concepts

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In other situations, fatalism can lead to a feeling of resignation and hopelessness, as people may feel that there is no point in trying to change anything because it will not make a difference.

History of Fatalism

Fatalism has also been used as a political philosophy, with some leaders using it to justify their actions. For example, Napoleon Bonaparte believed he was destined to rule the world.This belief can also be seen in some authoritarian regimes, where those in power believe that they are meant to rule, and anyone who opposes them is fighting against fate.

Signs of Fatalism

Fatalism can be seen in many different areas of life. For example, some people may have a fatalistic attitude towards their job, believing that they cannot do anything to change their situation. This can lead to them feeling unhappy anddemotivatedat work.

Other people may have a more general fatalistic outlook on life, believing that everything is predetermined and that they have no control over their own destiny. This can lead to them feeling hopeless and resigned, as they may feel that there is no point in trying to improve their situation.

However, fatalism can also give someone a greater sense of peace about a situation. For instance, instead of blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong in life, you can realize that you don’t have control over everything and havegreater compassion for yourselfand others.

What Can Help When You’re Feeling Hopeless

Types of Fatalism

Fatalism can be categorized based on the level of control that is believed to be possible. This type of distinction is typicallymade for determinismbut can be equally applied to fatalism.

Hard fatalism reflects the belief that humans have no control over their own destiny and that everything is predetermined. This means that people believe that they cannot do anything to change the course of their life, no matter what they do.

Soft fatalism is the belief that humans have some control over their destiny, but that there are still some things that are predetermined. This means that people may believe that they can influence their own fate to some extent, but that there are still some events that are out of their control.

Moderate fatalism is the belief that humans have a significant amount of control over their own destiny, but that there are still some things that are predetermined. This means that people may believe that they can influence their own fate to a large extent, but that there are still some events that are out of their control.

Implications of Fatalism

The implications of fatalism depend on how someone uses this belief and the effects it has on their mental health.

Depending on the situation, fatalism can have either positive, negative, or neutral mental health effects.

Positive Effects of Fatalism

People can use fatalism and experience positive mental health effects. For instance, if you apply to a school and don’t get in, you can believe that you did everything you could (instead of blaming yourself for not getting in). This outlook is more in line with the reality that you didn’t have ultimate control over whether the school accepted you or not.

Another example is if you had a loved one who died from an illness. Instead of blaming them for not going to the doctor sooner, or blaming yourself for not knowing they were ill, you might adopt a fatalistic outlook and instead, believe that there was nothing anyone could’ve done to prevent it.

Releasing control in some situations can help you accept and feel a greater sense of peace about difficult things that happen in life.

You may have observed fatalism in people with religious beliefs—for instance, someone who always attributes tragic events to a higher power or who believes “everything happens for a reason.” Research actually finds that fatalism is linked with higher rates of life satisfaction in people with religious beliefs than among less religious people.

Negative Effects of Fatalism

Fatalism can have negative effects as well. For instance, people who have a fatalistic outlook may be more likely to take risks such as not following road safety rules, as they may believe that it will not make a difference.Fatalism can also lead to feelings of resignation and hopelessness for cancer patients, as they may feel they have no control over their own fate or outcome.

Fatalism can also have a negative impact on mental health, as it can lead toanxietyanddepression.This is because fatalistic thinking can lead to people feeling stuck in their current situation and believing that they will never be able to improve it.

If you are worried that you may have a fatalistic outlook on life, there are some things that you can do to change your thinking. For example:

It is important to remember that fatalism is just a belief, and it is possible to change your thinking if you want to. If you are struggling to cope with your fatalistic thinking and it’s affecting your daily life, it is important to seek help from a mental health professional.

How to Stop Negative Thoughts

Below are some concepts that are similar to fatalism and which may be helpful to understand.

Determinism

Predestination

Fatalism is also different from predestination, which is the belief that some people are destined for salvation or damnation regardless of their actions.Predestination does not necessarily imply fatalism, as people may still have some control over their destiny.

Free Will

Optimism

It is important to note that fatalism should not be confused with optimism.Optimismis the belief that good things will happen, even in the face of adversity. Fatalism, on the other hand, is the belief that everything is predetermined and that we have no control over our destiny.

A Word From Verywell

It can be a useful practice to notice how your thoughts respond to difficult or tragic life circumstances. While you can use fatalistic thinking to feel better about your situation, it’s possible that fatalism has negative effects, too. It’s important to remember that there is a balance in life of things we do and do not have control over. If you are finding it hard to cope with unhelpful or negative thoughts, seek help from a mental health professional.

11 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Maercker A, Ben-Ezra M, Esparza OA, Augsburger M.Fatalism as a traditional cultural belief potentially relevant to trauma sequelae: Measurement equivalence, extent and associations in six countries.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019;10(1):1657371. Published 2019 Sep 2. doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1657371Lavazza A.Free Will and Neuroscience: From Explaining Freedom Away to New Ways of Operationalizing and Measuring It.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:262. Published 2016 Jun 1. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00262Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Fatalism.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stoicism.History.Napoleon Bonaparte.Joshanloo M.The relationship between fatalistic beliefs and well-being depends on personal and national religiosity: A study in 34 countries.Heliyon.2022;8(6):e09814. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09814Kayani A, King MJ, Fleiter JJ.Fatalism and its implications for risky road use and receptiveness to safety messages: a qualitative investigation in Pakistan.Health Educ Res. 2012;27(6):1043-1054. doi:10.1093/her/cys096Keller KG, Toriola AT, Schneider JK.The relationship between cancer fatalism and education.Cancer Causes Control. 2021;32(2):109-118. doi:10.1007/s10552-020-01363-4Shahid F, Beshai S, Del Rosario N.Fatalism and Depressive Symptoms: Active and Passive Forms of Fatalism Differentially Predict Depression.J Relig Health. 2020;59(6):3211-3226. doi:10.1007/s10943-020-01024-5Balaguer M.Free Will, Determinism, and Epiphenomenalism.Front Psychol. 2019;9:2623. Published 2019 Jan 9. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02623Britannica.Predestination.

11 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Maercker A, Ben-Ezra M, Esparza OA, Augsburger M.Fatalism as a traditional cultural belief potentially relevant to trauma sequelae: Measurement equivalence, extent and associations in six countries.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019;10(1):1657371. Published 2019 Sep 2. doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1657371Lavazza A.Free Will and Neuroscience: From Explaining Freedom Away to New Ways of Operationalizing and Measuring It.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:262. Published 2016 Jun 1. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00262Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Fatalism.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stoicism.History.Napoleon Bonaparte.Joshanloo M.The relationship between fatalistic beliefs and well-being depends on personal and national religiosity: A study in 34 countries.Heliyon.2022;8(6):e09814. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09814Kayani A, King MJ, Fleiter JJ.Fatalism and its implications for risky road use and receptiveness to safety messages: a qualitative investigation in Pakistan.Health Educ Res. 2012;27(6):1043-1054. doi:10.1093/her/cys096Keller KG, Toriola AT, Schneider JK.The relationship between cancer fatalism and education.Cancer Causes Control. 2021;32(2):109-118. doi:10.1007/s10552-020-01363-4Shahid F, Beshai S, Del Rosario N.Fatalism and Depressive Symptoms: Active and Passive Forms of Fatalism Differentially Predict Depression.J Relig Health. 2020;59(6):3211-3226. doi:10.1007/s10943-020-01024-5Balaguer M.Free Will, Determinism, and Epiphenomenalism.Front Psychol. 2019;9:2623. Published 2019 Jan 9. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02623Britannica.Predestination.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Maercker A, Ben-Ezra M, Esparza OA, Augsburger M.Fatalism as a traditional cultural belief potentially relevant to trauma sequelae: Measurement equivalence, extent and associations in six countries.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019;10(1):1657371. Published 2019 Sep 2. doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1657371Lavazza A.Free Will and Neuroscience: From Explaining Freedom Away to New Ways of Operationalizing and Measuring It.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:262. Published 2016 Jun 1. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00262Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Fatalism.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stoicism.History.Napoleon Bonaparte.Joshanloo M.The relationship between fatalistic beliefs and well-being depends on personal and national religiosity: A study in 34 countries.Heliyon.2022;8(6):e09814. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09814Kayani A, King MJ, Fleiter JJ.Fatalism and its implications for risky road use and receptiveness to safety messages: a qualitative investigation in Pakistan.Health Educ Res. 2012;27(6):1043-1054. doi:10.1093/her/cys096Keller KG, Toriola AT, Schneider JK.The relationship between cancer fatalism and education.Cancer Causes Control. 2021;32(2):109-118. doi:10.1007/s10552-020-01363-4Shahid F, Beshai S, Del Rosario N.Fatalism and Depressive Symptoms: Active and Passive Forms of Fatalism Differentially Predict Depression.J Relig Health. 2020;59(6):3211-3226. doi:10.1007/s10943-020-01024-5Balaguer M.Free Will, Determinism, and Epiphenomenalism.Front Psychol. 2019;9:2623. Published 2019 Jan 9. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02623Britannica.Predestination.

Maercker A, Ben-Ezra M, Esparza OA, Augsburger M.Fatalism as a traditional cultural belief potentially relevant to trauma sequelae: Measurement equivalence, extent and associations in six countries.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2019;10(1):1657371. Published 2019 Sep 2. doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1657371

Lavazza A.Free Will and Neuroscience: From Explaining Freedom Away to New Ways of Operationalizing and Measuring It.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016;10:262. Published 2016 Jun 1. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00262

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Fatalism.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stoicism.

History.Napoleon Bonaparte.

Joshanloo M.The relationship between fatalistic beliefs and well-being depends on personal and national religiosity: A study in 34 countries.Heliyon.2022;8(6):e09814. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09814

Kayani A, King MJ, Fleiter JJ.Fatalism and its implications for risky road use and receptiveness to safety messages: a qualitative investigation in Pakistan.Health Educ Res. 2012;27(6):1043-1054. doi:10.1093/her/cys096

Keller KG, Toriola AT, Schneider JK.The relationship between cancer fatalism and education.Cancer Causes Control. 2021;32(2):109-118. doi:10.1007/s10552-020-01363-4

Shahid F, Beshai S, Del Rosario N.Fatalism and Depressive Symptoms: Active and Passive Forms of Fatalism Differentially Predict Depression.J Relig Health. 2020;59(6):3211-3226. doi:10.1007/s10943-020-01024-5

Balaguer M.Free Will, Determinism, and Epiphenomenalism.Front Psychol. 2019;9:2623. Published 2019 Jan 9. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02623

Britannica.Predestination.

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