Hope and Optimism
Learned Helplessness
In 1965, Martin Seligman and his research colleagues discovered “learned helplessness.” They found that when animals are subjected to difficult situations that they cannot control, they stop trying and become hopeless and passive.
We now know that humans are the same. If we experience constant devastating defeats in a persistent dire situation that we cannot change or a terrifying event that we cannot control, we may lose hope and confidence in our ability to change our lives or the painful situation.
When we lack hope, we lack the energy and motivation to change our situation. This painful despair sets up a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we have no hope, belief in change, or trust that any action we take will make any difference, then hopelessness would be the outcome.
What Is Hope?
Hope is an expectation or desire for a particular outcome. It is an optimistic state of mind regarding the likelihood of an expected result. It is a feeling that an event will turn out for the best or that what is desired can be achieved. In other words, hope is about wanting something to happen or be true, and we usually have a good reason to think that way.
Hope is an emotion, a recognised character strength and an action-oriented attitude. It is identified by positive feelings about the future and is often associated with high motivation, notable optimism and elevated mood and energy. When people feel hopeful, they are happier and experience better mental health.
Hope is closely related to optimism and is strongly associated with many positive outcomes, including higher levels of well-being, better academic achievement and lower risk of death. However, optimism is only a part of it. While optimism is a general feeling arising from the belief that good things will happen, hope focuses on specific goals and developing appropriate action plans to achieve them. Hope is necessary for getting through tough times and meeting everyday goals.
To be genuinely hopeful, more than having goals is required. We must have a plan and work hard to get to those goals. Amongst all the inevitable twists and turns of life, hope allows us to approach our goals with a positive mindset and proper strategies, thereby increasing our chances of accomplishing them.
In psychology, hope is our ability to produce pathways (strategies) to achieve the desired goals and to motivate ourselves to use those pathways. In other words, hope involves the will to achieve a goal (agency) and the intended ways to obtain it (pathways). The hopeful person has the will and determination that their goal will be achieved (agency) and a set of strategies to reach their goals (pathways).
Hope Theory
In an article on hope (1989), Charles Richard Snyder (1944–2006) described hope as “the other side of excusing” and explained how he discovered a shared pattern related to pursuing goals. His studies of cognitive processes inspired his vision about the importance of pathways (strategies) in pursuing goals, how people find routes to their goals, and the motivation to use those pathways.
So, his theory of hope was born as the perceived ability to determine pathways to desired goals and to motivate oneself as a capable person (agent) to use those pathways. According to hope theory (C R Snyder and his colleagues, 1991), hope consists of goals, agency and pathways.
Hope has been defined by Snyder (2002) as a learned thinking pattern, a set of beliefs and thoughts that involves two relatively distinct ways of thinking about a goal.
a) Agency thinking, which involves thoughts related to one’s ability to motivate oneself to pursue goals; and
b) Pathways thinking, which are cognitive routes or strategies to achieving a goal.
These two components are complementary, reciprocal and positively related but not synonymous (Snyder et al., 2003). In short, hope consists of belief in our ability to plan for and motivate ourselves to pursue our goals (Davidson et al., 2012).
According to Snyder’s Hope Theory, people have hopes or beliefs concerning their ability to set goals and develop specific strategies (pathways) for achieving them and to initiate and sustain the motivations for using such strategies (agency) - (López, 2013; Snyder, 1995; Snyder, 2002; Snyder et al., 2003).
Hope is not a passive emotion that occurs only in life’s darkest moments. According to hope theory (Snyder and colleagues Snyder, Lopez, Shorey, Rand, & Feldman, 2003), it is a goal-directed cognitive process characterised as a human strength that involves the following three parts;
Conceptualising a goal (goal-directed thinking).
Actively creating ways or strategies to achieve those goals (pathways thinking). Pathways thinking includes one or more ways an individual identifies potential strategies that enable them to achieve a chosen goal.
Initiating and sustaining motivation for utilising such strategies (agency thinking) to achieve those goals effectively. Agency thinking refers to an individual evaluating their ability to pursue a goal, including continuing motivation.
Hope theory is a strength-based concept in positive psychology. It reflects the individuals’ perceptions of their capacities to devise goals, develop specific strategies to reach them (pathway thinking) and initiate and sustain their motivation to use those strategies (agency thinking). In this respect, hope is not a passive emotion but a dynamic cognitive motivation system (Snyder et al., 2003).
Keyes et al. (2002) think that a high level of hope enables us to work positively through life experiences. In contrast, a low level of hope (particularly in adults) is connected with the symptoms of anxiety, depression and behavioural problems (Snyder et al., 2003).
Hope is not just a feel-good emotion but a dynamic motivational system and a unique pattern of thinking (cognition or beliefs). True hope leads to action (learning, searching, and planning strategies). Research has shown that actions inspired by hope strongly relate to success in various areas of human life, including academic achievements, sports, arts, sciences and business.
Conversely, those lacking hope tend to avoid big goals or challenges; when they fail, they quit. They feel powerless and out of control and do not believe in their ability to obtain their desired future. In other words, they have no hope.
Generating Hope
Change is difficult, with multiple ups and downs, and requires strong hope, motivation and commitment. Fortunately, there are proven effective strategies for creating or increasing hope.
If you want hope, you must act as if you have it (set goals, plan carefully and work hard to achieve them). Remember your past successes (even small achievements) that can ignite your hope. Other helpful strategies include:
Use your sense of humour to help you cope better with stressful situations (but seriously, avoid sarcasm and putdowns). After all, it does not hurt to look at the world with amusement and wit.
Imagine and envision a specific future goal in a way that makes it come alive (visualising the best possible self). Set an exciting dream goal and break it down into executable SMART goals.
Create and use potential strategies (pathways) and work hard towards your goal.
Plan for contingencies and overcome potential stumbling blocks. Hopeful people tend to see multiple solutions (pathways) to a problem.
Ask powerful “how-to” questions and avoid “I cannot” statements.
Practise acts of kindness, self-compassion, acceptance and forgiveness.
Find your purpose and connect with your passions and values.
Learn a few stress reduction strategies, such as mindfulness meditations or slow and deep breathing techniques.
Develop your relationships (both with your close connections and your social network).
Ask for help, and help others bring hope to their lives.
Note: Almost all the items listed above for generating hope are discussed in more detail in my other articles (blogs) on this site.
