Handbook of Hope

Handbook of Hope

Theory, Measures, & Applications
2000, Pages 57-85
Handbook of Hope

Chapter 4 - Diagnosing for Strengths: On Measuring Hope Building Blocks

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Publisher Summary

Researchers have measured depression, anxiety, aggression, and hopelessness. Now these same measurement tools and techniques can be applied to assess human strength. It is in the context of this emerging positive psychology perspective that the conceptualization of hope—with the mental markers of goals, agency, and pathways is used for the development and validation of related instruments. With such measured hope as building blocks, a clinician can begin to construct a positive psychological framework with the aid of his/her client's preexisting strengths. To accomplish the measurement of these hope building blocks, hope scales have been developed as diagnostic tools for exploring an individual's strengths (or lack thereof). Hope scales are diagnostic instruments that can be used to determine clients' perceived motivations for pursuing their goals (agency thought) and abilities to identify workable routes to goal attainment (pathway thought). Hope indices can also be used to orient clients to therapy, increase one's understanding of clients, evaluate the process of therapy, and measure the outcomes of sessions and treatments. The five hope scales are adult dispositional hope scale, adult domain specific hope scale, children's hope scale, young children's hope scale, and adult state hope scale.

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Denotes equal contribution of the four second authors. Names are listed in alphabetical order. For further information, write to the first author by regular mail at the Department of Psychology and Research in Education, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 or by electronic mail to [email protected].

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