Pollyanna or Fright Night? Over-optimism versus negativity in the sexual health setting.

Yes, I admit it. The title of this article does lay me open to accusations of trivialisation. But when I was doing my research, I kept coming back to the metaphor the title reflects. My brief was to comment on how sexual health should be approached in society in general, and in the medico-sexual setting in particular. In short, what balance of positivity and negativity should we be using, both in health campaigns and in our interactions with clients? Is soft-pedalling on potential problems – à la Pollyanna – a sound emotional strategy or harmful in its naivety? Is stressing doom and gloom – the Fright Night approach – a useful preventative tool or counterproductive in its pessimism?