1. Hope & Optimism: A Synthesis
Kevin L. Rand
Indiana University – Purdue University
Indianapolis

2. Hope & Optimism are Good
 Depressive Symptoms x x
 Anxiety Symptoms x x
 Positive emotions x x
Positive appraisal of stress x x
 Adaptive coping x x
 Academic performance x x
 Athletic performance x
 Post-illness adjustment x x
 Pain tolerance x

3. Are Hope & Optimism the Same?
Hope & Optimism strongly associated
r ~ .50 (Snyder et al., 1991)
r ~ .80 in latent space (Bryant & Cvengros, 2004)
Similar patterns of association
Aspinwall & Leaf (2002)
Frequently conflated in literature
Peterson & Seligman (2004)
There is a need to clarify distinctions
Tennen, Affleck, & Tennen (2002)

4. Distinguishing Hope & Optimism
Magaletta & Oliver (1999)
EFA: pathways, agency, optimism, & self-efficacy are distinct
Hope scores predicted general well-being beyond optimism & self-efficacy
Bryant & Cvengros (2004)
CFA: hope & optimism are distinct, 2nd-order constructs
Hope =  self-efficacy
Optimism =  positive reappraisal

5. Distinguishing Hope & Optimism
Synthesizing Hope & Optimism
Distinguishing Hope & Optimism
LOT1
LOT4
LOT10
LOT3
LOT7
LOT9
Positive
Exp.
Negative
Exp.
Optimism ?
Hope
Pathways
Agency
AHS1
AHS4
AHS6
AHS8
AHS2
AHS9
AHS10
AHS12

6. Study Method Sample Measures Procedure
345 students in undergraduate psychology class
59.4% female; 78.6% Caucasian
Mean age = years (SD = 2.29 years)
Measures
Hope (AHS), Optimism (LOT-R)
High School GPA
Grade Expectancy (e.g., “I predict my final grade = 70%”)
Final Class Grade
Procedure
Start of semester: Self-report questionnaire
End of semester: course grade from instructor

7. 2(113, n=312) = 202.49; RMSEA = .052; SRMR=.050; CFI=.97 .67 .66 .45
.65
.27
.50
LOT1
LOT4
LOT10
LOT3
LOT7
LOT9
.57
.59
.74
.59
.85
.71
.04
.34
1.0*
Positive
Exp.
Negative
Exp.
.98*
-.81** HS
GPA
.25
.24
Optimism
1.0*
.87
.25
Goal
Attitude
.22
Class
Grade
.22
.87
.19
Hope
.24
.31
.77*
Grade
Exp.
.72*
.98*
.82*
Pathways
.49
Agency
.04
2(113, n=312) = ;
RMSEA = .052;
SRMR=.050;
CFI=.97
.48
.44
.66
.58
.68
.49
.79
.70
AHS1
AHS4
AHS6
AHS8
AHS2
AHS9
AHS10
AHS12
.77
.81
.56
.66
.54
.76
.38
.51

8. Synthesized Model of Hope & Optimism
Goal Attitude: Global belief that the act of pursuing goals is worth the effort required to do so
Goal Attitude has two facets:
Hope = Beliefs about the self
Pathways = Appraisal of one’s abilities
Agency = Appraisal of one’s available energy/motivation
Optimism = Beliefs about the world
Positive Expectancy = There are good things in the world to approach
Negative Expectancy = There are bad things in the world to avoid

9. Future Questions
Does optimism uniquely influence expectancies for events perceived to be outside of one’s control?
Are hope and optimism influenced by attachment?
Avoidance vs. Anxiety
Do hope and optimism have separate mechanisms for influencing well-being?
Appraisals
Optimism → Primary Appraisal
Hope → Secondary Appraisal
Coping
Optimism → Mental Accommodation
Hope → Problem Solving

10. Extra Slides

11. Adult Hope Scale HOW TRUE IS EACH STATEMENT OF YOU
1= Definitely False 4= Slightly False 5= Slightly True 8= Definitely True
___ 1. I can think of many way to get out of a jam. P
___ 2. There are lots of ways around any problem. P
___ 3. I can think of many ways to get the things in life that
are important to me. P
___ 4. Even when others get discouraged, I know I can find
a way to solve the problem. P
___ 5. I energetically pursue my goals. A
___ 6. My past experiences have prepared me well for my
future. A
___ 7. I’ve been pretty successful in life. A
___ 8. I meet the goals that I set for myself. A

12. Life Orientation Test-Revised
To what extent is each item generally true for you
1= Not True……………………………………………………5= Very True
___ 1. In uncertain times, I usually expect the best. O
___ 2. I’m always optimistic about my future. O
___ 3. Overall I expect more good things to happen to me than bad. O
___ 4. If something can go wrong for me it will. P
___ 5. I hardly ever expect things to go my way. P
___ 6. I rarely count on good things happening to me. P

13. Theoretical Overlap Hope Optimism Cognitively-based trait x x
Future oriented x x
Expectancy-value model x x
Explicit internal influence x x
Explicit external influence x
Explicit emotional etiology x
Influence appraisals x x
Influence coping responses x x
Influence well-being x x

14. .65 .62 .57 .68 .60 .51 .59 .62 .66 -.57 -.63 -.70 Future Orientation
LOT1
LOT4
LOT10
LOT3
LOT7
LOT9
.59
.62
.66
-.57
-.63
-.70
2(77, n=360) = ;
RMSEA = .12; GFI = .83;
NNFI = .86; CFI=.88
Future
Orientation
1.0*
.37
.41
.63
.48
.57
.43
.64
.56
AHS1
AHS4
AHS6
AHS8
AHS2
AHS9
AHS10
AHS12
.86
.83
.60
.77
.68
.81
.59
.69

15. .60
.58
.48
.54
.35
.31
LOT1
LOT4
LOT10
LOT3
LOT7
LOT9
.64
.65
.72
.68
.81
.83
1.0*
1.0*
Optimism
.68
-.44
Pessimism
2(71, n=360) = ;
RMSEA = .07;
GFI = .93;
NNFI = .95; CFI=.96
-.80
.68
-.56
.65
Pathways
1.0*
1.0*
Agency
.55
.61
.73
.66
.66
.55
.73
.71
AHS1
AHS4
AHS6
AHS8
AHS2
AHS9
AHS10
AHS12
.69
.63
.47
.56
.57
.70
.46
.49

16. 2(72, n=360) = 188.93; RMSEA = .067; GFI = .98; NNFI = .96; CFI=.97
.58
.58
.47
.54
.35
.32
LOT1
LOT4
LOT10
LOT3
LOT7
LOT9
.65
.65
.73
.68
.81
.82
.16
.34
Optimism
Pessimism
.92*
-.81**
2(72, n=360) = ;
RMSEA = .067;
GFI = .98;
NNFI = .96;
CFI=.97
General
Optimism
1.0*
.82
Hope
1.0*
.77*
.84*
Pathways
.41
Agency
.29
.54
.61
.73
.65
.66
.54
.73
.71
AHS1
AHS4
AHS6
AHS8
AHS2
AHS9
AHS10
AHS12
.70
.63
.47
.57
.57
.70
.46
.50

17. 2(73, n=360) = 219.02; RMSEA = .075; GFI = .97; NNFI = .94; CFI=.95;
.57
.57
.49
.54
.35
.32
LOT1
LOT4
LOT10
LOT3
LOT7
LOT9
.65
.66
.71
.68
.81
.82
.16
.40
Optimism
Pessimism
.92*
-.77**
2(73, n=360) = ;
RMSEA = .075;
GFI = .97;
NNFI = .94;
CFI=.95;
2(1, n=360) = 30.09, p < .001
General
Optimism
1.0*
1.0*
Hope
1.0*
.70*
.75*
Pathways
.51
Agency
.44
.57
.62
.71
.65
.65
.54
.74
.71
AHS1
AHS4
AHS6
AHS8
AHS2
AHS9
AHS10
AHS12
.68
.61
.49
.57
.58
.71
.45
.49