As seen below, Hope consists of three components: Goal, Pathways Thinking and Agency Thinking.
".Hope is a human strength that enables individuals to DRAW ON RESOURCES in their environment to support pathways toward healthy development and achievement" (Colla et al.,2022).
According to Colla et al., as shown above, Hope needs resources to support pathways or routes to achieving goals. In Liberia, there is very limited or no help for many, leaving many hope unattainable and a root cause of many mental health issues. Mossakowski (2011) showed in a study that unfulfilled or unmet life-course expectations (dreams, goals) led to long-term mental health issues such as depression.
When I lived in Liberia, West Africa, my primary goal was to stay alive. Goals like higher education, owning wealth or anything so easily achievable for me now in the UK were unrealistic, and this was twenty-three years ago. However, this is still the case for many people in Liberia today, with the only realistic goal being to stay alive.
To say you have hope where there is no evidence of resources and the possibility of this hope becoming a reality, is it fair to say this is a dead hope?
Many of us have hope similar to having faith, but even the bible states that faith without work is dead. In the same vein, hope needs resources and the ability to plan and execute pathways to achieve goals.
Should one not have hope because of the condition of their country? Or should they have hope to achieve goals that are relative to their current environment?
Hope believes that the future will be better regardless of the current situation. Hope is a positive emotion and is critical in overcoming adversities. Many today live on this hope, which is excellent. However, how long can you remain hopeful until you become hopeless and disheartened?
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