The essay ‘Combating the Tyranny of the Positive Attitude’ is about how humans have an image of a perfect life where people are always happy. The author of this essay is a psychiatrist who has found that there is no method for people to remain always happy and the best way to combat sadness is to embrace it. To be a wreck when you are a wreck is ok, but to pretend to be happy despite being a wreck will just make you feel worse. And then when you admit that there is a problem you feel even more down for allowing yourself to be anything but happy. The author’s belief is “that there is no one right way to cope with all the pain of living.”