"False" hope

Coping with terminal illness: the role of hopeful thinking

Using Snyder's theory of hope, the role of hope in the process of dying from a terminal illness is discussed. In this theory, hope is defined as the perceived capability to produce workable routes to desired goals (pathways thinking) and the requisite motivation to use those routes (agency thinking). Strategies by which individuals can maintain and even increase hope during the dying process are described, along with interventions to maintain patients' hope. Directions for future research are suggested.

Focusing on the positive, focusing on the negative: implications for psychotherapy

Each of the contributions in this special section challenges some of our preciously held notions. We are challenged to be aware that an overfocus on positivity and optimism can be tyrannical, see the positivity in the negativity, realize that some pessimism can be adaptive, see that complaining has positive value, and be aware that false hope is not necessarily bad. Through an examination of these, I have suggested that (a) we have to be careful to deeply respect the individuality of our clients and to take seriously the possibility that there is some "ecological wisdom" in their apparently dysfunctional behavior, and (b) what is more important than optimism-pessimism, complaining versus not complaining, or false versus realistic hope is the degree to which the client adopts a task-focused orientation towards problems.