Hope - the expectation that one will have positive experiences or that a potentially threatening or negative situation will not materialize or will ultimately result in a favorable state of affairs. It has been characterized in the psychological literature in various ways, including as:
a component of motivation that is critical to goal attainment;
a mechanism that facilitates coping with loss, illness, and other significant stresses; or
an integrated combination of these features.
According to research, there are different types of hope.
REALISTIC HOPE. Realistic hope is hope for an outcome that is reasonable or probable (Wiles, Cott, & Gibson, 2008). In this sense, an individual suffering from chronic pain might hope for a small reduction in pain, knowing that complete eradication is unrealistic. According to Eaves, Nichter, and Ritenbaugh (2016) being realistic is a way of hoping that allows individuals to observe and understand their situation while still maintaining openness toward the possibility of positive change.
UTOPIAN HOPE. This way of hoping is a collectively oriented hope that collaborative action can lead to a better future for all. According to (Webb, 2013) the utopian hoper critically negates the present and is driven by hope to affirm a better alternative. Consider utopian hope presented by a political movement; a movement that effectively articulates the hopes of a social group to expand the horizons of possibility.
CHOSEN HOPE. Hope not only helps us live with a difficult present but also with an uncertain future. In addition to physical suffering, a diagnosis of a serious or terminal illness is a major contributor to psychiatric syndromes and distress. Understandably, multiple factors such as grief, fear, and concerns about loved ones can contribute to experiences of hopelessness within this population. In the palliative care context, for instance, chosen hope is critical to the management of despair and its accompanying paralysis of action. Garrard and Wrigley (2009) suggested that hope for even the most restricted range of goals within the limits of a life is essential to the regulation of negative emotions.
TRANSCENDENT HOPE. According to Eaves, Nichter, and Ritenbaugh (2016), transcendent hope encompasses 3 types of hope, namely:
Patient Hope – a hope that everything will work out well in the end.
Generalized Hope – hope not directed toward a specific outcome.
Universal Hope – a general belief in the future and a defense against despair in the face of challenges.
Transcendent hope is also referred to as existential hope. It describes a stance of general hopefulness not tied to a specific outcome or goal; put simply, it is the hope that something good can happen.
According to this theory, hopefulness is a life-sustaining human strength comprised of 3 distinct but related components (Snyder et al., 1991):
Goals Thinking – the clear conceptualization of valuable goals.
Pathways Thinking – the capacity to develop specific strategies to reach those goals.
Agency Thinking – the ability to initiate and sustain the motivation for using those strategies.
Hope does not necessarily fade in the face of adversity; in fact hope often endures despite poverty, war and famine. While no one is exempt from experiencing challenging life events, hope fosters an orientation to life that allows a grounded and optimistic outlook even in the most challenging of circumstances.
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