The Psychology of Hope: A Diagnostic and Prescriptive Account

Hope for a Good Life, 2018

2005

is an aspect of human existence that appears increasingly significant in our modern world. However, what hope is, how it works, and why it is important continue to be debated, with different approaches to hope evident within different fields. This anthology of hope is unique in that it features contributions from many seminal writers and researchers across a wide range of disciplines, and thus offers multiple perspectives on this important and complex phenomenon. Hope is viewed through the lenses of theology, philosophy, politics, psychology, nursing, and medicine, with authors covering the histories and possible futures of hope and hope research. Encompassing the theoretical and the practical, the societal and the personal, this book will be a valuable resource to those commencing or conducting research into hope, and an enjoyable and insightful read for those wishing to know more about the state of hope today. Download Interdisciplinary Perspectives On Hope ...pdf Read Online Interdisciplinary Perspectives On Hope ...pdf

Hope is a powerful emotion that has been largely neglected by the social sciences. In this paper, we introduce a theory of hope drawn from multiple disciplines, including psychology, philosophy, theology, and medicine. Our integrative approach features four components: the attachment, mastery, and survival motives, as well as spiritual beliefs. In addition, we describe four different empirical analyses aimed at the development and refinement of a comprehensive set of scales for measuring state and trait hope.

The concept of hope, though greatly debated over the years, still eludes a formal definition. As this paper seeks to move the discussion on the concept of hope forward, it will not recapitulate theoretical orientations. Instead it will offer thoughts on the concept of hope that are grounded in empirical research; a view of hope is obtained by examining its functional characteristics. Specifically, the paper reviews empirical studies on hope's inspiration and maintenance within the field of nursing. From the perspective of inspiration, two seemingly competitive conceptions are found. The research embodying the first conception shows that hope is inspired relationally, through emotionally significant relationships. Competing research asserts that hope is more of an idiosyncratic attribute whose inspiration is tied more closely to the individual's agency and sense of power. The cognitive dissonance between the two views is considered and reconciled. In light of this reconciliation, a preliminary reconceptualization of hope is proposed: hope is a relational product of hoping. Hoping is relating to the future as a subject whose subjectivity is created by projecting feelings generated from relationships onto the future.

2014

On a personal note (R.J.) Although I have been studying hope for many years, from time to time I still discover new facets, as well as various definitions and measures of the concept. It has been said before that hope is illusive and therefore difficult to grasp (Dickinson, 1960), but this is also what makes it challenging. I now wish to share with you my "journey" to the discovery of hope and my thoughts on the next step of studying the topic with my colleague G.G. Back in the 1980's, as I began studying hope, my vantage point was Lazarus and Folkman's Stress and Coping Theory (1984), and I defined hope as an active emotional process evoked in response to a threat. During this period I viewed hope as a coping mechanism, which enables the individual to overcome stressful situations. I thought of hope in terms of "doing", whether tangibly or cognitively using imagination. Accordingly, I outlined four assumptions which have constituted my core beliefs on hope: 1. Hope, in contrast to denial, involves exposure to, and confrontation with threat and pain, in an attempt to overcome them. 2. Hope is not a passive expectation for events to occur, but an active process oriented towards these events. 3. Hope should not be regarded as a discrete variable, but rather as a process which I termed: 'The Work of Hope'. 4. The 'Work of Hope' is an ongoing process which enables growth, maturation and creativity in life's developmental and coping processes.

2018

Contemporary accounts of hope turn away from religious connotations, or tendencies to focus only on future goods, instead studying hope as a rational and ubiquitous feature of human life (Pettit 2004, 153). In this context, philosophers commonly draw on the Standard Account (Meirav 2009, 218) account of hope, which proposes two independently necessary and jointly sufficient conditions for hope: 1) that the object of hope must be desired by the hoper, and (2) that achievement of the object is viewed by the hoper as neither certain nor impossible (the 'estimative and desiderative' criteria for hope; see Downie 1963, 248f). 1 Unfortunately, the philosophical literature tends to obscure actual experiences of hope, and inadequately attends to the importance of agent self-perception and developmental factors leading to hope. This kind of theorizing leaves important gaps in our understanding of the phenomenon, particularly regarding the characteristics of a hopeful experience. This lack of clarity is apparent given several philosophers' recent bids to supplement the Standard Account's criteria. 2 Psychological researchers have also recently worked to clarify how people experience hope, with a notable focus on the hopers' developmental histories and self-perceived agency. I argue that philosophers' oversights of these factors lead them to counterintuitive descriptions of hope. Further, I submit that taking cues from psychological studies will help incorporate relevant brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk

Although hope is a valued construct in psychotherapy, it tends to be viewed as adjunct to more focal interventions or as leverage for other valued goals. We contend that hope needs to be a targeted intervention in many cases. We will highlight issues arising in the acquisition of therapeutic hope. We acknowledge hope's dual nature as both a "gift" from God as well as an attribute that can be cultivated. Our main objectives are to define hope, confirm its essential role in well-being, recognize various hope mechanisms, introduce relevant theory, briefly highlight hope attainment issues, promote a variety of hope interventions, and list some helpful assessments and resources that can aid in nur-turing the seeds of hope and optimism. Evidence will be reviewed for the role of hope and optimism in relation to physical and mental health, life success and satisfaction, and resilience during adversity. We advocate for the central role of hope in God's plan for his children...

Unpublished conference paper for the 7th Annual Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues conference at Oriel College, Oxford University, 2019

Hope can be presented as the framework to develop authentic human life. It means that hope is tightly related to our highest aspirations and the way we conduct our lives. Ancients described it as a feeling produced by a favourable situation in the future that appears within our reach (Aristotle and Aquinas). Hope is also a basilar strength of character linked to our highest aspirations and our lifestyle. It synthesises experience and prepares us to cope with an uncertain future, integrating desires and pleasures into consistent behaviour. Contemporary psychology has recovered nuclear elements of hope as a virtue, but more often than not, explanations remain at a very functional level. Significant discoveries by Seligman et al., M. Erickson, W. Mischel, C. Dweck will be useful in an updated explanation of hope.

Critical Horizons, 2008

The paper contrasts two approaches to the analysis of hope: one that takes its departure from a view broadly shared by Hobbes, Locke and Hume, another that fits better with Aquinas’s definition of hope. The former relies heavily on a sharp distinction between the cognitive and conative aspects of hope. It is argued that while this approach provides a valuable source of insights, its focus is too narrow and it rests on a problematic rationalistic psychology. The argument is supported by a discussion of hope understood as a stance and by a consideration of the phenomenological contrast between expectation and anticipation.The paper concludes with some reflections on the relation between hope and illusion and the idea of responsible hope.