Social psychology has been applied to understanding origins of psychological disorders, diagnostic methods, and exploring treatment options for psychological disorders (Gruman et al., 2016). Especially in regard to depression, social psychology has played a significant role in determining treatments. More specifically, social psychology has found based on the hopelessness theory that depression is bound to occur if two conditions exist.
If an individual is “vulnerable” and experiences “negative environmental outcomes” there is an increased risk of becoming depressed (Gruman et al., 2016). Further, if a person makes pessimistic attributions or perceives to have a lack of control over their life they may have a negative outcome expectancy or feeling of helplessness. With that said, a prominent treatment for depression based on the theory is to alter the individual’s mindset to be more positive (Gruman et al., 2016). This is also known as hope therapy.
Hope therapy works towards encouraging individuals to think differently through enhancing their attributional style, which suggests that individuals make global and stable attributions towards unseen circumstances (Gruman et al., 2016). In other words, hope therapy works with individuals to be more resilient and to have a hopeful outlook on challenges that may arise. Another part of hope therapy includes altering the client’s environment through differing methods (Gruman et al., 2016). Some of the methods include setting achievable goals, community outings, listening to music, animal therapy, playing games, creating art, and more. All of these activities are meant to increase the frequency of positive and enjoyable experiences.
While there are other ways to increase more frequent amounts of positive experiences, these techniques have been found to be effective (Sadeghi et al., 2015). They increase hopefulness, while decreasing the risk for depression. Not only that, but they encourage you to have a more positive outlook on life. Activities such as these are simple things that you can do to decrease depression and increase a life full of hope and happiness.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology : Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). : SAGE Publications.
Sadeghi, H., Ebrahimi, L., & Vatandoust, L. (2015). Effectiveness of hope therapy protocol on depression and hope in amphetamine users. International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.5812/ijhrba.21905
Tags: depression, hope therapy, social psychology
Your insightful exploration of hope therapy’s effectiveness in combating depression resonates deeply with the principles outlined in the Hopelessness Theory Approach to Treating Depression. The shift from hopelessness to hopefulness marks a fundamental transition in therapeutic goals, emphasizing the importance of fostering optimism and resilience in individuals struggling with depression.
Expanding on your discussion, it’s crucial to underscore the multifaceted nature of psychological interventions aimed at promoting hopefulness. By engineering social environments to facilitate positive life events and encouraging clients to adopt an enhancing attributional style, therapists can empower individuals to navigate challenges with a renewed sense of agency and optimism. Moreover, the empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of hope therapy, as highlighted by Cheavens, Feldman, Gum, Michael, and Snyder (2006) and Vennig, Kettler, Eliot, and Wilson (2009), underscores the importance of integrating hopeful elements into therapeutic approaches to prevent and alleviate depression (Pg. 114). Additionally, exploring the long-term implications of hope therapy and its potential role in promoting overall well-being could provide valuable insights into its sustained effectiveness beyond the treatment of depression alone.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology : Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). : SAGE Publications.
I really enjoyed reading this and I think it can tie in with my post, which revolved around the hopelessness theory and the diagnosis of cancer. Feelings of hopelessness and cancer diagnosis can cause individuals to have catastrophic thoughts and be victims of self-blame, which results in depression (Alloy, 1988). This can also make them feel less motivated to undergo treatment to help the illness because they feel hopeless. The hope therapy could definitely help these individuals have a better outlook on the diagnosis and be more confident in beating the cancer.
Alloy, L.B., Abramson, L.Y., & Metalsky, G.I. (1988). The Hopelessness Theory of Depression: Attributional Aspects. The British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 27 (1), 5-21.
This was very interesting, we read about the hopelessness theory of depression in the lecture commentary, and I feel like what you wrote about ties in. So many suffer from depression and things like art therapy which you mentioned, are great tools for working through the upsets of this disorder. Most importantly as you stated it’s about learning and incorporating more positive experiences into one’s life. Mindfulness has come to the forefront of many an article lately and there’s not a question as to why. Thank you for sharing your experience and what you have learned, the more we share our experiences and knowledge the better we all are for it. I have been attempting to practice mindfulness more, though it can be difficult. It was cool to read about the guided hope therapy, this is likely the best method for implementing new and positive habits. So cool, thank you.
Hope Therapy seems like a very interesting approach to addressing pessimistic thinking and depressive symptoms, and it does make intuitive sense. If I’m in the habit of thinking negatively about something or myself, developing a habit of positive thinking or positive self-reflection does seem like a straight-forward and logical solution. That being said, I also think Hope Therapy may unintentionally perpetuate a very human tendency that isn’t beneficial: avoiding the present moment.
During my adolescence and early adulthood I dealt with depression fairly consistently. I often felt burdened by the past and/or by negative thinking. While I do see the benefit in emphasizing the potential for a positive future outcome, relying on hope and wishful thinking effectively does the same thing that depression does, which is distracting me from “right now”. Whether I’m caught up in the past, or effortfully trying to focus on the future, I’m ridding myself of the opportunity to notice the possibility that everything is already okay. This is one of the benefits of Mindfulness. By bringing our attention to the present moment, to our current experience of life, instead of staying locked in our thoughts about life, we’re able to experience a greater quality of wellbeing (National Institutes of Health, 2021). I personally find Mindfulness to be quite empowering, because it provides me with a solution for addressing my mental health without needing to rely on the content of my thoughts.
References
National Institutes of Health. (2021, June). Mindfulness for Your Health. NIH News in Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/06/mindfulness-your-health#:~:text=Studies%20suggest%20that%20focusing%20on,help%20people%20cope%20with%20pain.
Hope theory is an interesting theory and can be very helpful for those struggling with depression to understand. Hopefulness is defined as “expecting good things to happen in the future” (Gruman, et al, 2016). This could be compared to a recent common idea of manifestation. Manifestation uses the law of attraction to believe in what you want to happen to you will happen to you (Schaffner, 2024). Though manifestation is often associated with people spiritual I believe that the idea of manifestation is routed in hope theory and is just another way for people to use it to help themselves.
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology : Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). : SAGE Publications.
Anna K. Schaffner. (2024). The Scientific Validity of Manifesting: How to Support Clients. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/manifesting/