Hope and Healing: Initial Analysis of a New Integrative Hope Theory

Research has shown that hope is essential both in the context of everyday life and illness. Despite its importance, there is no consensual definition of hope. This dissertation has focused on an initial testing of some premises of a new Integrative Hope Theory (IHT) (Balen & Merluzzi, 2021). Specifically, that a) the theorized underlying structure of hope is a two-dimensional configuration that consists of uncertainty and control, b) that depending on the situation (high/low uncertainty/control) participants are more likely to engage in specific hope processes/qualities to maintain hope (i.e., rely on personal skills/self-efficacy, persevere over time, or trusting others/God), and c) to assess specific variables that moderate the importance of control and uncertainty and, therefore, the appraisal of hope (i.e., spirituality, locus of control, and intolerance of uncertainty). One hundred participants were recruited. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) revealed that hope consists of two-dimension configuration including a control dimension and a second dimension which was defined by meaning in relation to topic (illness). INDSCAL (Individual Differences Scaling) weights revealed that all participants valued the control dimension more, and that participants with higher spirituality levels and higher intolerance of uncertainty (IO) valued the meaning dimension more compared to participants with lower scores on those same scales. Higher scores on the external-LOC were associated with a greater weight on dimension 2, compared to higher scores on the internal-LOC. Finally, the one-way repeated measure MANOVA partially supported the hypothesis that depending on the specific situation, some hope processes may be more relevant than others to maintain hope. The IHT is comprehensive in scope, based in well-established psychological theory, and has heuristic value for accounting for the role of hope in everyday life, in extraordinary circumstances such as serious illness, and in hopelessness. The results partially supported the theory, but there were exceptions.