“False” hope

2002/08/19 by C.R. Snyder, C. R. Snyder, Kevin L. Rand +3 · 16 citations
Psychology · Medicine · Arts and Humanities · #Optimism, Hope, and Well-being #Empathy and Medical Education #Mental Health and Psychiatry

paper · doi:10.1002/jclp.10096

Abstract

"False" hope is condemned in the literature on the grounds that it reflects the counterproductive use of: (a) expectations based on illusions rather than reality, (b) inappropriate goals, and (c) poor strategies to reach desired goals. Snyder, Harris, et al.'s (1991) hope theory involving self-referential thoughts about finding routes to desired goals (pathways) and the motivation to use those routes (agency) is used as a framework for examining these three criticisms of false hope. It is concluded that the presently available evidence does not support any of the false-hope criticisms. The implications of hope-related issues for the applied clinical arena are discussed.

Citations

• The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope.

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