This document summarizes research on optimism and hope. It discusses dispositional optimism, which is the belief that good things will happen more than bad things. Optimism is associated with positive outcomes like life satisfaction, while pessimism is linked to depression. The document also examines explanatory styles, which are how people explain events. Optimists tend to see problems as external, temporary, and limited in scope. Researchers have developed scales to measure optimism, including the Life Orientation Test. The document also defines hope as the perception of successful agency and pathways to goals. High hope is associated with benefits like achievement and low depression. Researchers have created scales to measure hope, including the Adult Dispositional Hope Scale and Adult State Hope Scale.
Introducing Massive Motivation- Control Your Own Destiny by Understanding How to Manipulate Your Motivation, Inside this eBook, you will discover the topics about how controlling your motivation can improve your life, the activation of motivation, intensity of motivation, habitual beliefs that affect motivation levels, personality quirks, health problem, how to find a source of motivation that is effective for you, tactics to increase your motivation, how to channel your motivation, sustaining your motivation for long periods of time and bite sized goals.
Introducing Massive Motivation- Control Your Own Destiny by Understanding How to Manipulate Your Motivation, Inside this eBook, you will discover the topics about how controlling your motivation can improve your life, the activation of motivation, intensity of motivation, habitual beliefs that affect motivation levels, personality quirks, health problem, how to find a source of motivation that is effective for you, tactics to increase your motivation, how to channel your motivation, sustaining your motivation for long periods of time and bite sized goals.
International Journal of Education (IJE)ijejournal
International Journal of Education (IJE) is a Quarterly peer-reviewed and refereed open access journal that publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of Educatioan. The journal is devoted to the publication of high quality papers on theoretical and practical aspects of Educational research.
The goal of this journal is to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to focus on Educational advancements, and establishing new collaborations in these areas. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews are invited for publication in all areas of Education.
Dr. Chan Hellman's Keynote Address from the 2016 Science of HOPE conference.
Description:
Positive psychology is an emerging field focused on the scientific study of human strengths and the capacity for individuals, groups, and communities to thrive. Within this field, Hope has emerged as one of the top strengths contributing to well-being. This seminar will present the science of Hope as a meaningful resource in our ability to cope with traumatic experiences and flourish toward future goals, and will also present “hands-on” tools to assess hope and develop strategies to attain established desirable goals. Finally, this seminar will present scientific studies conducted by the University of Oklahoma’s Center of Applied Research for Nonprofit Organizations that demonstrate the power of hope among children and adults who have experienced trauma.
Reply 2 to DRGOI think self -monitoring is how we evaluate ourse.docxsodhi3
Reply 2 to DRGO
I think self -monitoring is how we evaluate ourselves and is a way to make us better. If we were to truly monitor, correct the faults that we see, and build on our strengths on some of the critical traits for locus of control, how we perceive ourselves and others, self-efficacy, attitude and self-esteem we could change our weaker areas. "Locus of control deals with the degree to which people feel accountable for their own behaviors"(The Saylor Foundation, 2017). Locus of control discusses the internal and external locus of control. Internal means that you are the reason something is happening and external is saying that something else caused this to happen. "Perception may be defined as the process with which individuals detect and interpret environmental stimuli"(The Saylor Foundation, 2017). The three areas of perception are visual, Self and social. A persons perception might not always be as they think it is and might cause them to judge another person the wrong way by misunderstanding their actions. I think self perception has to do with the way people are and depends a lot on how they grew up. It plays a large part in their self esteem, whether they are approachable, social or just like to keep to themselves. "Self-efficacy is a belief that one can perform a specific task successfully"(The Saylor Foundation, 2017). Everyone does not have this ability, but the ones that do are usually successful when trying new things and getting the job done above the standard. I think that this is crucial in any organization, especially the Army. We are always getting new tasks, promotion, and missions that we have never done before that if we fail have a lot of consequences. Failure cannot be in our thought process. Understanding this in the work place will help with the dynamics that come a long with a lot of different personalities. You shouldn't be quick to judge others by getting the wrong perception. Helping yourself and others understand this will build a stronger organization and team within that organization.
Reply 2 to TRGR
Locus of control, self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-monitoring, and attitudes and perception make-up a sort of melting pot of how one behaves. Locus of control describes the level of accountability people assume in regard to their behavior, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). Self-esteem is described as how a person feels about themselves, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). Perception is how individuals “detect and interpret environmental stimuli, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). Finally, self-efficacy refers to the belief an individual has that they can perform a specific task specifically, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). Depending upon the levels of these concepts that the individual possesses is the result of how one is able to self-monitor their actions in a number of situations, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). For example, a person with high self-esteem is likely to have much higher job satisfaction and performance. Relative to self-mo ...
Grit, Resilience & Agency in Sportspersons and NonSportspersonsinventionjournals
Physical fitness results from regular physical activity, whichever form it may be in. The benefits of physical fitness towards the development of mental health and vice versa have been well-researched. The current study aims to study the difference in the levels of agency, resilience and grit in sportsperson and nonsportsperson and also seeks to establish the relationship between agency, resilience and grit. Agency refers to the belief of an individual in his ability to bring change in his life. Resilience refers to rebounding after facing the obstacles that hinder the path to achievement of goal. Grit has been referred to as the perseverance of goals over long-term in spite of failure and adversity. It was hypothesized that sportsperson will show higher levels of grit, resilience and agency as compared to the non-sportsperson. It was found that non-sportsperson exhibited higher levels of grit, resilience and agency as compared to sportsperson; however the difference was not found significant except in the case of agency.
Positive Cognitive States and Processes.pptxAQSA SHAHID
Positive Cognitive States and Processes:Resilience•Resilience-Thecapacitytowithstandexceptional stresses and demands without developing stress-related problems.
Vic is a professor at the University of Michigan’s Schools of Public Health and Medicine. An innovative teacher and researcher, in 1995 he founded the UM Center for Health Communications Research, studying the future of digitally-tailored health communications when fewer than 15% of Americans had Internet access. He’s also an entrepreneur, founding HealthMedia, a digital health coaching company that was sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2010. More recently, Vic created JOOL Health, a digital platform integrating the science of well-being with big data, biometric devices, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence. Vic and the organizations he founded have won numerous national and international awards, including two Smithsonian Awards, the Health Evolution Partners Innovations in Healthcare Award, and the National Business Coalition on Health’s Mercury Award. In 2010, Vic won the University of Michigan’s Distinguished Innovator Award. In late 2017, Dr. Strecher was the Donald A. Dunstan Foundation’s “Thinker in Residence” in Adelaide, Australia to develop a “Purpose Economy” of business, government, and communities. Vic’s latest neuroscience, behavioral, and epidemiologic research; his two recent books, Life On Purpose and the graphic novel On Purpose; and JOOL Health, are focused on the importance of developing and maintaining a strong purpose in life.
https://www.vicstrecher.com/
Reflection Journal Three Path-Goal TheoryPlease read the fo.docxcarlt3
Reflection Journal Three: Path-Goal Theory
Please read the following article that has been posted at the Webcampus:
1. Helland, M. R., & Winston, B. E. (2005). Towards a deeper understanding of hope and leadership. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 12(2), 42-54.
Answer the following questions. Your answer must reflect your personal interpretation of the material you read.
1. How does hope influence motivation?
2. Describe how hope and goal setting/pursuit fits with the main concepts of path-goal theory.
3. Individuals with high levels of hope are likely to possess which subordinate characteristic(s) in the path-goal theory. Explain your answer.
Assignment requirements and format style
The following format is applied for this assignment:
· You need to have a minimum of (2) and maximum of (3) pages excluding cover page, references, any diagrams or appendix
· 12-point font, double-spaced, normal margins, page number, and font type: Times New Roman
· No TYPOS or spelling errors
· Hand written papers will not be accepted
· Please number the pages in the lower right hand corner
· All paragraphs must be indented 5 spaces
· All assignments must be submitted with the correct APA formatting and all sources cited according APA standards
· Subheadings should be used to break up topics in the paper, helping to organize the flow and facilitate reading.
Towards a Deeper Understanding of Hope and
Leadership
Martha R. Helland, PhD
Bruce E. Winston, PhD
Regent University
Recently a cognitive based theory of hope
developed within the field of positive psychology
has been discussed in relation to organizational
leadership. (Shorey & Snyder, 1997) Hope in
this context can be described as a positive
motivational state that contributes to leaders
and followers expending the requisite energy
necessary to pursue and attain organizational
goals. In an effort to further understand hope in
relation to leadership the authors identify
linkages between hope and theories of
motivation, goal setting and goal pursuit
commonly applied in leadership studies. This is
followed by a review of emerging leadership
concepts and theories that explicitly include the
concept of hope. Implications for theory are
discussed and questions for future research are
presented.
Few would argue that leaders are purveyors
of hope, for as Luthans and Avolio (2003)
acknowledge, &dquo;the force multiplier throughout
history has often been attributed to the leader’s
ability to generate hope,&dquo; (p. 253). Yet despite
this acknowledgment, little attention has been
paid to hope within leadership studies. This does
not mean that hope has been discounted as a
critical factor in effective leadership. It is simply
that hope, which is often considered an emotion,
has been difficult to define.
However, hope theory (Snyder, Irving &
Anderson, 1991 ) developed within the field of
positive psychology has recently provided
researchers with a definition of hope that is clear
and measurab.
Cross-Cultural Psychological Capital, Occupational Stress and Organizational ...Emmanuel Segui
Cross-Cultural Psychological Capital and Its Relationship With Occupational Stress and Organizational Socialization
Emmanuel Segui, Industrial/Organizational Psychologist
International Journal of Education (IJE)ijejournal
International Journal of Education (IJE) is a Quarterly peer-reviewed and refereed open access journal that publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of Educatioan. The journal is devoted to the publication of high quality papers on theoretical and practical aspects of Educational research.
The goal of this journal is to bring together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to focus on Educational advancements, and establishing new collaborations in these areas. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews are invited for publication in all areas of Education.
Dr. Chan Hellman's Keynote Address from the 2016 Science of HOPE conference.
Description:
Positive psychology is an emerging field focused on the scientific study of human strengths and the capacity for individuals, groups, and communities to thrive. Within this field, Hope has emerged as one of the top strengths contributing to well-being. This seminar will present the science of Hope as a meaningful resource in our ability to cope with traumatic experiences and flourish toward future goals, and will also present “hands-on” tools to assess hope and develop strategies to attain established desirable goals. Finally, this seminar will present scientific studies conducted by the University of Oklahoma’s Center of Applied Research for Nonprofit Organizations that demonstrate the power of hope among children and adults who have experienced trauma.
Reply 2 to DRGOI think self -monitoring is how we evaluate ourse.docxsodhi3
Reply 2 to DRGO
I think self -monitoring is how we evaluate ourselves and is a way to make us better. If we were to truly monitor, correct the faults that we see, and build on our strengths on some of the critical traits for locus of control, how we perceive ourselves and others, self-efficacy, attitude and self-esteem we could change our weaker areas. "Locus of control deals with the degree to which people feel accountable for their own behaviors"(The Saylor Foundation, 2017). Locus of control discusses the internal and external locus of control. Internal means that you are the reason something is happening and external is saying that something else caused this to happen. "Perception may be defined as the process with which individuals detect and interpret environmental stimuli"(The Saylor Foundation, 2017). The three areas of perception are visual, Self and social. A persons perception might not always be as they think it is and might cause them to judge another person the wrong way by misunderstanding their actions. I think self perception has to do with the way people are and depends a lot on how they grew up. It plays a large part in their self esteem, whether they are approachable, social or just like to keep to themselves. "Self-efficacy is a belief that one can perform a specific task successfully"(The Saylor Foundation, 2017). Everyone does not have this ability, but the ones that do are usually successful when trying new things and getting the job done above the standard. I think that this is crucial in any organization, especially the Army. We are always getting new tasks, promotion, and missions that we have never done before that if we fail have a lot of consequences. Failure cannot be in our thought process. Understanding this in the work place will help with the dynamics that come a long with a lot of different personalities. You shouldn't be quick to judge others by getting the wrong perception. Helping yourself and others understand this will build a stronger organization and team within that organization.
Reply 2 to TRGR
Locus of control, self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-monitoring, and attitudes and perception make-up a sort of melting pot of how one behaves. Locus of control describes the level of accountability people assume in regard to their behavior, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). Self-esteem is described as how a person feels about themselves, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). Perception is how individuals “detect and interpret environmental stimuli, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). Finally, self-efficacy refers to the belief an individual has that they can perform a specific task specifically, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). Depending upon the levels of these concepts that the individual possesses is the result of how one is able to self-monitor their actions in a number of situations, (Saylor Foundation, 2017). For example, a person with high self-esteem is likely to have much higher job satisfaction and performance. Relative to self-mo ...
Grit, Resilience & Agency in Sportspersons and NonSportspersonsinventionjournals
Physical fitness results from regular physical activity, whichever form it may be in. The benefits of physical fitness towards the development of mental health and vice versa have been well-researched. The current study aims to study the difference in the levels of agency, resilience and grit in sportsperson and nonsportsperson and also seeks to establish the relationship between agency, resilience and grit. Agency refers to the belief of an individual in his ability to bring change in his life. Resilience refers to rebounding after facing the obstacles that hinder the path to achievement of goal. Grit has been referred to as the perseverance of goals over long-term in spite of failure and adversity. It was hypothesized that sportsperson will show higher levels of grit, resilience and agency as compared to the non-sportsperson. It was found that non-sportsperson exhibited higher levels of grit, resilience and agency as compared to sportsperson; however the difference was not found significant except in the case of agency.
Positive Cognitive States and Processes.pptxAQSA SHAHID
Positive Cognitive States and Processes:Resilience•Resilience-Thecapacitytowithstandexceptional stresses and demands without developing stress-related problems.
Vic is a professor at the University of Michigan’s Schools of Public Health and Medicine. An innovative teacher and researcher, in 1995 he founded the UM Center for Health Communications Research, studying the future of digitally-tailored health communications when fewer than 15% of Americans had Internet access. He’s also an entrepreneur, founding HealthMedia, a digital health coaching company that was sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2010. More recently, Vic created JOOL Health, a digital platform integrating the science of well-being with big data, biometric devices, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence. Vic and the organizations he founded have won numerous national and international awards, including two Smithsonian Awards, the Health Evolution Partners Innovations in Healthcare Award, and the National Business Coalition on Health’s Mercury Award. In 2010, Vic won the University of Michigan’s Distinguished Innovator Award. In late 2017, Dr. Strecher was the Donald A. Dunstan Foundation’s “Thinker in Residence” in Adelaide, Australia to develop a “Purpose Economy” of business, government, and communities. Vic’s latest neuroscience, behavioral, and epidemiologic research; his two recent books, Life On Purpose and the graphic novel On Purpose; and JOOL Health, are focused on the importance of developing and maintaining a strong purpose in life.
https://www.vicstrecher.com/
Reflection Journal Three Path-Goal TheoryPlease read the fo.docxcarlt3
Reflection Journal Three: Path-Goal Theory
Please read the following article that has been posted at the Webcampus:
1. Helland, M. R., & Winston, B. E. (2005). Towards a deeper understanding of hope and leadership. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 12(2), 42-54.
Answer the following questions. Your answer must reflect your personal interpretation of the material you read.
1. How does hope influence motivation?
2. Describe how hope and goal setting/pursuit fits with the main concepts of path-goal theory.
3. Individuals with high levels of hope are likely to possess which subordinate characteristic(s) in the path-goal theory. Explain your answer.
Assignment requirements and format style
The following format is applied for this assignment:
· You need to have a minimum of (2) and maximum of (3) pages excluding cover page, references, any diagrams or appendix
· 12-point font, double-spaced, normal margins, page number, and font type: Times New Roman
· No TYPOS or spelling errors
· Hand written papers will not be accepted
· Please number the pages in the lower right hand corner
· All paragraphs must be indented 5 spaces
· All assignments must be submitted with the correct APA formatting and all sources cited according APA standards
· Subheadings should be used to break up topics in the paper, helping to organize the flow and facilitate reading.
Towards a Deeper Understanding of Hope and
Leadership
Martha R. Helland, PhD
Bruce E. Winston, PhD
Regent University
Recently a cognitive based theory of hope
developed within the field of positive psychology
has been discussed in relation to organizational
leadership. (Shorey & Snyder, 1997) Hope in
this context can be described as a positive
motivational state that contributes to leaders
and followers expending the requisite energy
necessary to pursue and attain organizational
goals. In an effort to further understand hope in
relation to leadership the authors identify
linkages between hope and theories of
motivation, goal setting and goal pursuit
commonly applied in leadership studies. This is
followed by a review of emerging leadership
concepts and theories that explicitly include the
concept of hope. Implications for theory are
discussed and questions for future research are
presented.
Few would argue that leaders are purveyors
of hope, for as Luthans and Avolio (2003)
acknowledge, &dquo;the force multiplier throughout
history has often been attributed to the leader’s
ability to generate hope,&dquo; (p. 253). Yet despite
this acknowledgment, little attention has been
paid to hope within leadership studies. This does
not mean that hope has been discounted as a
critical factor in effective leadership. It is simply
that hope, which is often considered an emotion,
has been difficult to define.
However, hope theory (Snyder, Irving &
Anderson, 1991 ) developed within the field of
positive psychology has recently provided
researchers with a definition of hope that is clear
and measurab.
Cross-Cultural Psychological Capital, Occupational Stress and Organizational ...Emmanuel Segui
Cross-Cultural Psychological Capital and Its Relationship With Occupational Stress and Organizational Socialization
Emmanuel Segui, Industrial/Organizational Psychologist
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourWasim Ak
Normal labor is also termed spontaneous labor, defined as the natural physiological process through which the fetus, placenta, and membranes are expelled from the uterus through the birth canal at term (37 to 42 weeks
4. OPTIMISM
Optimism is a form of positive thinking that includes the belief that you are responsible for your own
happiness, and that more good things than bad will continue to happen to you. Optimists believe that bad or
negative events are rare occurrences and that it is not their fault when something bad happens but is due to
something external.
Carver and Scheier -Dispositional Optimism
Charles Carver and Michael Scheier coined the term ‘dispositional optimism’ to describe their approach –
the global expectation that good things will be plentiful in the future and bad things scarce.
They argued that optimism is associated with, and leads to, securing positive outcomes whereas pessimism
is associated with greater negative outcomes (Scheier and Carver 1992, Scheier, Carver and Bridges
2001). For example, in studies of young adults, optimism has been found to be associated with greater life
satisfaction (Chang, Maydeu-Olivares & D’Zurilla, 1997) whereas pessimism has been found to be associated
with greater depressive symptoms (Chang et al 1997).
Carver and Scheier see optimism as dispositional. They have found that optimists report fewer physical
symptoms, better health habits and better coping strategies. Even among a group who had experienced the
bad outcome of being diagnosed with breast cancer (Carver et al 1997) found that optimistic personality
types experienced less distress, engaged in more active coping and were less likely to engage in avoidance or
denial strategies.
5.
6. Optimistic Explanatory Style: Making
Sense of Bad Events
Imagine two students who receive the same poor grade on an exam. The first student thinks,
“I’m such a failure! I always do poorly in this subject. I can’t do anything right!” The second
student thinks, “This test was difficult! Oh well, it’s just one test in one class. I tend to do well
in other subjects.” These students are exhibiting two types of what psychologists call
“explanatory styles”. Explanatory styles reflect three attributions that a person forms about a
recent event. Did it happen because of me (internal) or something or someone else
(external)? Will this always happen to me (stable) or can I change what caused it (unstable)?
Is this something that affects all aspects of my life (pervasive) or was it a solitary occurrence
(limited)? Pessimistic people tend to view problems as internal, unchangeable, and pervasive,
whereas optimistic people are the opposite. Pessimism has been linked with depression,
stress, and anxiety (Kamen & Seligman, 1987), whereas optimism has been shown to serve as
a protective factor against depression, as well as a number of serious medical problems,
including coronary heart disease (Tindle et al., 2009). Optimistic mothers even deliver
healthier, heavier babies (Lobel, DeVincent, Kaminer, & Meyer, 2000)! Optimism seems to
have a tremendous number of benefits; consider several detailed below.
7. Scales: Can optimism be measured?
Scheier and Carver (1985) introduced their index of optimism, the Life Orientation Test (LOT),
as introducing positive (“I’m always optimistic about my future’) and negative (“I rarely count
on good things happening to me”) expectancies. The LOT has displayed acceptable internal
consistency( alpha 0.76 in original sample) and a test retest correlation of 0.79 over one
month. In support of its concurrent validity, the LOT correlated positively with expectancy for
success and negativity with hopelessness and depression.
After years of extensive research using the LOT, a criticism arose about its overlap with
neuroticism. In response to this concern, Scheier, Carver and and Bridges (1994) validated a
shorter, revised version of the LOT known as the LOT-Revised (LOT-R). The LOT-R eliminated
items that caused the neuroticism, trait anxiety, self mastery, and self esteem, optimism as
measured by LOT-R has shown superior capabilities in predicting various outcomes markers
related to superior coping.
8.
9. HOPE
Snyder, Irving & Anderson (1991, as cited in Snyder, 2000, p.8) define hope as
“a positive motivational state that is based on an interactively derived sense of successful (a) agency
(goal-directed energy) and (b) pathways (planning to meet goals)” .
Hope theory can be subdivided into four categories:
Goals that are valuable and uncertain are described by Snyder (1994, as cited in Snyder, 2000, p.9) as
the anchors of hope theory as they provide direction and an endpoint for hopeful thinking.
Pathway thoughts refer to the routes we take to achieve our desired goals and the individual’s
perceived ability to produce these routes (Snyder, 2000).
Agency thoughts refer to the motivation we have to undertake the routes towards our goals.
Barriers block the attainment of our goals and in the event of a barrier we can either give up or we can
use our pathway thoughts to create new routes.
Goal attainment has been found to be associated with positive emotions (Snyder et al, 1996), whereas
goal blockages are related to negative emotions (Diener, 1984); however this is not always the case.
10.
11. High hope individuals do not react in the same way to barriers as low hope individuals,
instead they view barriers as challenges to overcome and use their pathway thoughts to plan
an alternative route to their goals (Snyder, 1994 as cited in Snyder, 2000 p. 10).
High hope has been found to correlate with a number of beneficial constructs including,
academic achievement (Snyder et al, 2002) and lower levels of depression (Snyder et al,
1997). Meanwhile low hope is associated with negative outcomes including a reduction in
well-being (Diener, 1984).
Measurement Tools to Measure Hope
Researchers have developed measurement tools that assess levels of hope as well as agency
and pathway thoughts. But what are the purposes of such assessments?
Snyder, (1995) has suggested several uses, including predicting outcomes among a sample and
providing extra support for those who are low in hope, (e.g. in an educational setting where
hope has been identified as predicting achievement).
12. 1. The Adult Dispositional Hope Scale
The first assessment tool designed to measure hope in respect of Snyder’s theory was the
Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (ADHS) (Snyder et al, 1991). This scale taps into dispositional
hope in adults aged over 15 years.
It is a self report questionnaire that contains twelve questions, four that tap agency thoughts
(e.g. Q2. I energetically pursue my goals), four that tap pathways thoughts (e.g. Q1. I can
think of many ways to get out of a jam). Items are scored on an eight point Likert scale.
The scale creates three scores, a hope score that is created by summing the agency and
pathway items or two separate scores that measure agency and pathways independently by
totalling their respective items.
Total hope scale scores range from a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 64, while agency and
pathway scores range from a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 32 with high scores reflecting
high levels of hope (Snyder et al, 1991).
13. 2. The Adult State Hope Scale
As a result of this drawback Snyder et al, (1996) developed the Adult State Hope Scale (ASHS), which
assesses goal directed thinking in any given moment or situation (Lopez et al, 2000). This scale is a six
item self report questionnaire that is designed to tap into state hope in adults. The scale has three
agency items (Q6. At this time, I am meeting the goals that I have set for myself) and three pathway
items (Q5. I can think of many ways to reach my current goals).
Items are scored using an 8 point Likert scale and scores are created for overall hope by summing all
the items and by summing the even numbered items to get an agency score and all the odd-
numbered items to get a pathway score.
3.The Adult Domain Specific Hope Scale
A further shortcoming of the ADHS (Snyder et al, 1991) and the ASHS (Snyder et al, 1996) is that they
measure general hope that is not independent of different life domains. A person may be high in
hope in relation to their career but have low hope in relation to relationships.
In this case the dispositional or state hope measures discussed above would fail to pick up upon the
discrepancies that manifest in this persons hope profile. As a result of this Sympson, (1999 as cited in
Lopez et al, 2000, p.61-63) has developed the Adult Domain Specific Hope Scale (DSHS) that
measures an individual’s level of dispositional hope in six specific areas, which are social, academic,
family, romance/relationships, work/occupation and leisure activities (Lopez et al, 2000).