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What is Hope in Psychology
Common Ideas About Hope
- Hope and optimism. Optimism is a positive attitude about a future event that is probable while being hopeful is more realistic. A hopeful individual recognizes that life may work out differently, but continues to remain positive.
- A potential pitfall of hope is that people can repeatedly fail to change aspects of their behavior, leading to a cycle of failure characterized by unrealistic expectations.
- Hope is not the same as wishful thinking. Wishful thinking does not involve any plan on how to accomplish change, while hope involves a commitment to seeking future outcomes.
- Desire and hope. Desire is more open-ended and less directed than hope. Hope can evoke a future-oriented willingness to achieve a goal.
- The biggest enemy of hope is an inability to affect the kind of change people desire in their lives.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
Cautionary Hope
Research shows that during disasters, altruism and kindness happen more than greed and selfishness. To tide over the current crisis requires optimism along with caution.
Action and accomplishment is a requirement to improve our and other people's lives. We cannot wish away the current situation and need to take affirmative, organized action.
The planet needs us to fix itself, and we have plenty of work to do.
People With High Hopes
People with high hope have a good number of difficult, challenging goals, and a good scorecard of achievement.
They have lower rates of anxiety and depression and greater happiness. They cope well with problems that consume the rest of the world.
Hope = Goals + Agency + Pathways
Instead of wishful thinking, we need to know what we want (specific goals), and have the drive and passion to go towards it (agency) and should be able to generate methods and devices to achieve what we want (pathways).
When we do a sum total of these three, we get hope: Hope= Goals + Agency + Pathways
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Key Ideas
Positive psychology: the "science of happiness"
The "science of happiness" was born as a result of Martin Seligman's (the father of positive psychology) endeavour to approach psychology beyond the idea of restoring normality in individuals and to look at happiness and contentment as ways to not only restore normality, but also to prevent and protect as well as potentially cure.
Positive psychology has three main areas: Generation of both short and long term healthy pleasures, joy obtained through the connection with others and happiness that comes from a meaningful life.
The plasticity of the brain
Neuroscience research demonstrates the power of positive psychology:
- Studies showed that repetitive negative thinking causes one pattern of brain activity, while positive thoughts can produce another.
- Practices such as gratitude, mindfulness, and physical activity can change certain pathways within the brain.
- Medication can also stimulate or suppress brain activity. Martin Seligman found a combined treatment plan of medication and therapy can help patients recover sooner.
Positive psychology strategies
Positive psychology treatments focus on four fundamental areas:
- Strengths: Finding one's inner strength and resilience.
- Quality of life: Goals and achievements should be underpinned by meaning and purpose.
- Hope: Ensuring a positive attitude when faced with life's trials and knowing that they have the support to cope.
- Wellbeing: A sense of environmental mastery, full engagement with the world, and personal satisfaction.
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Key Ideas
Productive solitude
Solitude doesn't have to be a negative experience.
Productive solitude happens when we deliberately seek alone time. And this time should not be used for overthinking negative experiences, but for positive reflection and contemplation or for doing something we enjoy.
Feeling active
In determining our pathway to wellbeing, it doesn’t just matter how physically active we are but how active (how energetic, vigorous, and vital) we feel.
Future-mindedness
Even though our predictions aren’t always accurate, the simple act of contemplating the future might be a key to well-being.
It usually is a 2-steps process: first, we dream big and imagine fantasy outcomes; then, we “get real” and come up with pragmatic plans.