Hope is a special emotion. It can emerge from our repertoire of virtues to provide the emotional fortitude to withstand the darkest days. Hope can enlighten the path of the lost, bring a sense of connection to the lonely, comfort the sick, and elevate the dispirited. Indeed, it is hardly a coincidence that it is during these shortened days of winter that our minds are most apt to bend towards the light and promise of hope. It with this light of hope that we resolve to eat better, exercise more, spend more time with loved ones, save more money, and so forth.
This is also an election year in America and hope is a potent form of political capital for those seeking to be elected in November. Napoleon declared that every leader was a dealer in hope. Fans of Ronald Reagan called it [hope] his "secret weapon." Three decades ago, Senator Kennedy exhorted his party to steal hope back from the Republicans. Barack Obama (author of the Audacity of Hope) ran on a platform of "hope and change." Ron Paul has chosen "Hope for America." Mitt Romney, in a recent television ad, referred to the current president as a pessimist and promised to usher in a new era of "optimism."
Let me be clear. This is a psychological blog, and not a political editorial. My intention here is not to promote nor criticize any person or party. At the same time, I believe there are some interesting life lessons or self-help that can be drawn from taking a closer look at hope, the political capitol. This idea came to me partly as the result of conducting some research with my students on hope and the presidency. Secondly, for the past 20 years, I have worked in southwestern New Hampshire, on a college campus that is a regularly visited by presidential hopefuls eyeing the "first in the nation" primary. Thirdly, I read a blog the other day on this very site which presented some compelling research indicating that what a presidential candidate promises (hopes), is a good barometer of what he or she will actually promote and pursue if elected. Fourthly, I kept reflecting on the story of Donna Fountain, a 38-year-old single mother who was tragically killed on Christmas day by a hit-and-run driver. What made her story so poignant was a one-page note that was found in her coat. Donna Fountain never went anywhere without her list of dreams. What did she hope for? Donna wanted to (1) work on her dream job (2) buy a house by age 45 (3) establish a home for gay and lesbian teens (4) marry the woman of her dreams, and (5) watch her son graduate from college.
What Is Hope?
Hope has been my topic of study for more than three decades. From my perspective, hope is constituted from four basic human needs: mastery (a higher purpose, collaborative support), attachment (trust and openness), survival (coping and self-regulation), and spirituality (empowerment, connection, and salvation of a transcendent nature).
Hope and the Presidency: From Research to Life-Lessons
Recently my students and I created a detailed scoring system for speech contents that allowed us to identify themes related to each of the four components of hope (mastery, attachment, survival, and spirituality). Two students from opposite ends of the political spectrum (liberal and conservative) independently scored the first inaugural address of the last ten presidents, from Eisenhower to Obama (five Democrats and five Republicans). We made sure that the scores assigned to each president were, in statistical terms, "reliable" (negligible discrepancies between the conservative and liberal rater). This method allows us to rank the 10 presidents in terms of the total amount of hope they expressed in each address as well as the extent to which themes of mastery, attachment, survival, or spiritual hope were represented. What follows are four findings from this research and the potential life-lessons that might be drawn.
Our First Finding: There were no differences between Democrats or Republicans with respect to total hope or any of the hope components (mastery, attachment, survival or spirituality). Democrats were not more or less hopeful than Republicans. Republicans were not more survival oriented despite the stereotype of being tougher on defense. Democrats were not more attachment oriented despite the stereotype of being more concerned about the poor and those on the margins of society.
Hope-Lesson One: Hope has a genotype and a phenotype. The biological blueprints (genotypes) of hope are found in our nervous system (brain areas and circuits for planning, attaching, surviving, and transcending). However, as human beings, the manner in which this hopefulness will be expressed (phenotype) is greatly affected by our environment and the personal choices that we make. In essence, you have the freedom and responsibility to shape your own hopes.
Our Second Finding: We discerned individual hope profiles, i.e., individual patterns of greater or lesser emphasis on mastery, attachment, survival, or spirituality) even within parties. For example, Eisenhower's address reflected a fear-reducing hope. Kennedy projected a liberating hope. Carter's was a trust-oriented hope. Nixon's' was a goal-oriented hope.
Hope-Lesson Two: Your hopes define you. Hope is not simply a means but an end in itself. When Donna Fountain was killed, it was called heart-breaking. I agree because her life was cut short, and because her son has lost his mother. However, I have to assume that she was living better, in a psychological sense, than many who walk this earth without hopes and dreams. Philosophers and spiritual leaders, from Aristotle to the existentialists and Rick Warren as well as the psychologists Allport and Erikson, have preached that living a good life requires a sense of intentional being, purpose, and extension of self. Your hopes shape your being and purpose, and vice versa.
Our Third Finding: We obtained rankings of presidential greatness by historians as well as job approval numbers, and found there was no relationship between these measures of presidential success and total hope scores derived from the inaugural addresses (a generally hopeful countenance did not translate into a more effective presidency). However, we did find that one component or type of hope, namely, survival hope, was strongly correlated with greatness rankings. A full explanation of this finding is beyond the scope of this blog but it seems to reflect the ability of a president to rise to the occasion during a particularly stressful or vulnerable period in a nation's history.
Hope-Lesson Three: True hope is adaptive, flexible, reality tested. Hope is sometimes disparaged by those who mistakenly confuse it with denial or Pollyannaish thinking. In my research on hope and HIV, individuals who scored higher on a self-report (questionnaire) measure of hope, were independently rated by their case manager as lower in denial and more committed to self-care. Hope is not hope if you are blind to the truth.
Our Fourth Finding: Hope styles (the pattern of emphasis on mastery, attachment, survival, or spirituality) could be used to explain presidential actions and policy priorities. For example, Eisenhower (fear-reducing hope) came to the presidency soon after WWII, against the backdrop of nuclear proliferation and a new cold war. Historians often refer to his presidency as a calm, stable one, marked by "incremental changes" whose policies and practices were most often designed to "keep the peace" within Washington as well as domestically and abroad. Kennedy (liberating hope) vowed to "pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty" and followed this up with attempts to free Cuba, defeat Communism, and advance civil rights.
Hope-Lesson Four: True hope is active, not passive. The truly hopeful person is pursuing a passion, connecting with others, and sorting through options, and cultivating a spiritual life. In my research I have found that more hopeful children tend to devise more solutions when presented with hypothetical dilemmas. Individuals with HIV who are more hopeful miss fewer doses of medications. Hope is not hope if you are not committed.
In closing, I find it both fitting and ironic that Donna Fountain's son is named Elijah. He was the 9th-Century prophet whose legacy revolved around honoring his true beliefs and railing against those he considered false prophets Donna's hopes suggest that she shared a similar passion for following her truth, irrespective of the challenges, past, present, or future. What is your truth? How will you live your truth in 2012 and beyond? A good way to begin is to reflect on your hopes for this New Year.
