Fear of hope: a mindset that thwarts aspirations and a scale to measure it

Abstract This paper introduces fear of hope, which is the apprehension aroused by feeling hopeful. It reflects an implicit coupling of hope with disappointment such that rising aspirations induce feelings of threat. By infusing threat into hope, fear of hope might undermine the benefits that hope otherwise provides. This research developed a psychometrically sound fear of hope measure and demonstrated how fear of hope relates to coping. Studies 1–4 produced, and Studies 5 and 6 reconfirmed, the 6-item Fear of Hope (FOH) measure. The FOH has strong internal reliability and good model fit. Studies 5 and 6 validated the FOH. They showed that the FOH is moderately associated with negative affect, demoralized thinking, and depleted psycho-social resources, demonstrating convergent validity. The FOH is also distinct from fear of failure, fear of success, depression, hope, and optimism, demonstrating divergent validity. Studies 5 and 6 also confirmed predictive validity. They showed, as expected, that hope was no longer associated with adaptive coping when coupled with fear of hope. Those who reported both high hope and high fear of hope had selectively greater levels of anxiety, fear of feelings, and negative counterfactual thinking. In sum, fear of hope, as captured by the psychometrically robust Fear of Hope measure, is a novel construct with important theoretical and practical implications.