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Hope, as both a noun and a verb, has been an integral part of the description of human functioning throughout time. Typical definitions include some level of expectation or confidence in a successful outcome. Snyder (1994, 2002) and colleagues offered the scientific definition of hope as a cognitive process, made up of pathways thinking and agency thinking, through which individuals actively pursue goals. Thus, hope comprises three distinct but related components: goals (targets of mental action sequences), pathways thinking (perceived ability to identify and develop routes to goals), and agency thinking (thoughts related to one’s ability to successfully use pathways and reach goals).
Theoretical Background
Hope began as a topic of religious and philosophical inquiry, gaining a foothold in the scientific literature in the mid-twentieth century. The primary argument within the field was whether hope was a primarily...
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References
Cheavens, J. S., Feldman, D. B., Gum, A. M., Michael, S. T., & Snyder, C. R. (2006). Hope therapy in a community sample: a pilot investigation. Social Indicators Research, 77, 61–78. doi:10.1007/s11205-005-5553-0.
Irving, L. M., Snyder, C. R., Cheavens, J. S., Gravel, L., Hanke, J., Hilberg, P., & Nelson, N. (2004). The relationships between hope and outcomes at the pretreatment, beginning, and later phases of psychotherapy. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 14, 419–443.
McDermott, D., & Snyder, C. R. (1999). Making hope happen: a workbook for turning possibilities into reality. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications Inc.
Rand, K. L., & Cheavens, J. S. (2009). Hope theory. In S. J. Lopez & C. R. Snyder (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology (pp. 323–333). New York: Oxford University Press.
Snyder, C. R. (1994). The psychology of hope: You can get there from here. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc.
Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 249–275.
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Cheavens, J.S., Stigen, C.L. (2012). Hope Theory and Hope Therapy. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_959
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