Optimism, Hope and Subjective Well-Being: a Literature Overview

Year 2021, Issue: 6, 61 - 74, 30.06.2021

Pınar Dursun

Abstract

The field of subjective well-being (SWP) or happiness have received increasing attention in the psychology literature. This increased interest has led researchers to examine SWB in relation to a variety of psychological, social, and cultural variables, including optimism and hope. Undoubtedly, all these variables are critical components for mental health. SWB is specifically used as a general term which consists of life satisfaction, mental health and happiness from life. Although hopefulness has been occasionally used interchangeably with optimism, many studies revealed that they are related but different concepts. Optimism is defined as a general expectancy that good things will happen in the future, on the other hand, hope refers to the general cognitive-motivational variable including one’s belief in which one utilizes pathway thinking and agency thinking. In this study, we attempt to review the conecptualizations of SWB, optimism, and hope, and point out various recent studies on the relationships between SWB, hope, and optimism.

Keywords

Subjective well-being, happiness, optimism, hope

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