Ourgroup assignment is to create a career workshop for clients who have beenworking at the company for 15 years and feel like they have lost the motivationto continue putting in the hard work. They feel lost and uneasy with theindustry changing, even though they have “met expectations” at work.Withthe clients in mind, our group chose Hope Theory and Strengths-based approachas the two concepts to increase their motivation and feel positive throughrecognising their strengths.
Throughout the workshop, the clients are to do theAdult Hope Scale and VIA Survey of Character Strengths to identify how toimprove and achieve goals and identifying their strengths. Their strengths arefurther reinforced through the activity where each client is to narrate theirsuccess story which allows them to reflect of situations where they have usedtheir strengths to overcome obstacles.Inthis paper, we will look into whether the Hope Theory and Adult Hope Scale areapplied correctly and useful in addressing the clients’ needs. We will alsolook into whether the activity is suitable to the clients.Hope Theory HopeTheory has been clearly explained as a Snyder’s framework which is built on agoal-directed thinking approach.
The approach utilizes two components: (a)pathways thinking and (b) agency thinking. Pathway thinking involves developingways to achieve desired goals, while agency thinking involves the necessarymotivations for the person to take actions.Asthe clients currently felt lost, this approach is seen beneficial to them. Byintroducing hope theory and how to go about setting SMART goals, it allows theclients to be focus and have a sense of direction by working towards theirgoal.
In a study conducted by David B. Feldman, associate professor ofcounselling psychology of Santa Clara University, California, students whoundergo a 90-minute hope intervention session were more likely to have madeprogress toward their goals after a month. The career workshop, which hassimilar duration, aims to achieve similar results as those in the studyconducted by David B. Feldman.Asthe clients are experiencing negative emotions of uneasiness and anxious abouttheir future, it is important to build up their hope levels and improve theirmotivation. Various studies on college students have found that high-hopepeople experience less anxiety.
Individuals with high hope levels are able tomanage and overcome stress and report lower levels of daily stress (Chang,1998; Irving, Snyder, & Crowson, 1998; Ong, Edwards, & Bergeman, 2006;Snyder, 2002). According to Magaletta & Oliver (1999), hopeful individuals experiencebetter overall physical, psychological, and social well-being. Once the hopelevels of the clients increase, they will embrace agency self-talk and produceflexible alternative routes to overcome the stressor, which is being stagnantat their jobs.
