“Hope springs eternal in the human breast" wrote Alexander Pope in An Essay on Man in 1734. Since then, the phrase “Hope springs eternal" has been incorporated in our culture through common usage and has been adopted as the title of books, music, television programs and a film. It seems that hope for the future is important in sustaining us, especially when we encounter challenges or adversities.
Hope can be a powerful force and not a passive wish or dream about the future. Shane Lopez, Research Director of the Clifton Strengths Institute and Senior Scientist at Gallup, describes hope as the belief that the future will be better than the present along with the belief that one has the power to make it so. He maintains that hope is “the ideas and energy you have for the future".
Hope is demonstrated through the powerful interaction of positive thinking associated with goals, pathways and agency. The latter factor may also be described as self-efficacy or belief in oneself. The combination of these forms of thinking has been described by Lopez as “I want to go from here to there … I know many ways to go from here to there … and I think I can get from here to there."
Gallup conducts a large survey of students (from grade 5 – 12) each year and provides valuable information about factors impacting on the psychology and behaviour of youth. Lopez points out that although hope is different from optimism, hope is an important component of optimism, well-being, flourishing, mental health, engagement and academic success. His research into the factors that influence student achievement indicates that hope is a significant factor, responsible for thirteen percent of the variance in students' academic achievement. Academic hope has been found to be an important predictor of academic success at tertiary level. It is a better predictor of tertiary achievement than national testing and school results.
Importantly, hope is malleable. Hope can be developed through specific intervention and guidance to encourage the development of more hopeful ways of thinking. Students can be encouraged to identify a goal and then break the large goal into smaller, more easily attained sub-goals. Guide a student to identify a range of ways in which a goal might be attained and assist the student to select the best pathway. Acknowledge at the outset that difficulties may arise along the way to attaining a goal and rehearse ways in which these obstacles might be overcome so the student is prepared for adversity. Setting the goal oneself; developing positive thoughts and self-belief; flexible thinking, humour and learning to enjoy the challenge can each be helpful in developing hope.
© Michele Juratowitch
michele@clearingskies.com.au