The Hope Institute
A 501 (c)(3) Nonprofit
Your Total Hopefulness Score is:
43
/80
Hopefulness is humanity’s most important character strength, the psychological equivalent of an immune system. Like the biological immune system, hope can be strengthened or weakened by external factors that vary on a continuum from very healthy to very toxic. The workplace can be empowering or disabling, welcoming or alienating, freeing or restrictive, experienced as meaningful or completely devoid of purpose. In short, a good workplace can strengthen and even infuse hope. A toxic work environment "sickens the soul", and erodes hope. The link between satisfaction of the needs underlying hope and employee wellbeing are supported by more than seven decades of research, dating back to the classic analysis of Friedman and Havighurst (1954) and continuing with studies such as those by Wang et al. (2020) and Tusi et al. (2024).
Low Workplace Hope. Multiple elements of the Critical MASS may be in short supply at your workplace. You may feel alienated from other workers, colleagues, or members of the administration. Perhaps the problem is a lack of purposeful/meaningful work? Maybe the salary, benefits, or compensation is not sustainable to support you and/or loved ones. Which elements are essential for you to remain in this organization? A low score is unfortunate. The average adult spends approximately 1,800 hours per year at work. Can you think of ways to increase your feelings of mastery, attachment, survivability, or sense of purpose, within this organization, or outside of work if necessary? For problems with mastery, attachment, and even spirituality, it may be possible to complement your work life with activities that satisfy these needs more directly. If the problem is survival-related, you have at least three options: seek a different job or career for which you are qualified, seek a second source of income and remain at your job, seek training in your off-hours to make a future switch in work or career. Review your priorities and needs for both salary and benefits. Think in long-term and short-term time frames, and consider both your stability and growth needs.
Share Your Results
Would you like to see a full report with scores on the four major aspects of hope in the workplace (Mastery, Attachment, Survival, and Spiritual Hope)? If yes, click below to purchase your full report and obtain a detailed hopefulness profile of your workplace.
Mastery Hope Score:
12
/20
In several large-scale studies, psychologists asked lay people (non-professionals) open-ended questions about hope. Hopeful individuals reported a focus on non-negotiable, life-defining endpoints (ultimate, unconditional desires, linked to cherished values). They also highlighted the role of empowerment and inspiration. Does your workplace align with your cherished values? (At a minimum, your workplace should not be at odds with your most important principles and values.) Do you derive any sense of empowerment from trainings and skill development opportunities? As you inspired by your work environment in any manner? Friedman and Havighurst (1954) included the needs for esteem and identity in their functions of work. As they note, beyond power and prestige, there remains a basic needs for identification with, and a sense of contribution to, larger efforts. They suggest that one of the risks of technological advances could be a diminishment in a sense of collective mastery, leading to greater "work alienation".
You feel underappreciated. Your skills, work ethic, or other contributions often go unnoticed. You may sense that the organization does not differentiate between good work and poor work. There is little effort to provide training that personally benefits you versus the organization’s “bottom-line.” However, as we note in another section of this report, individuals vary in how much they personally feel a need for mastery, attachment, survival, or spirituality. To some extent, these differences are based on early life experiences and what we internalize from these "formative" years. So ask yourself, how important is this dimension of your work life?
Attachment Hope Score:
10
/20
Philosophers, who have provided the deepest thoughts on hope, consistently stress the importance of social connections and trust. A hopeful person has internalized a sense of embeddedness in a predictable universe of caring people and benign forces, visible and invisible. Some philosophers equate hopefulness with openness. Do you feel an emotional connection to at least some of your co-workers/colleagues? Are there trustworthy leaders at the top of your organization? Does your workplace feel like a place where you can safely share your thoughts and feelings? Are people in your workplace genuine in their dealings with you?
Friedman and Havighurst (1954) included "association" as a key work function. They note the powerful human need for attachment and incorporated theory and research to support the high value placed on the social aspects of work.
You feel quite alone at work. This feeling may be due to differences in values or interests compared to others in the organization. You may feel a need to remain guarded. A very low score may suggest feelings of isolation and mistrust towards individuals or groups at multiple levels of the organization (horizontal and vertical alienation). The two forms of connection, vertical and horizontal, satisfy different attachment-related needs. For example, horizontal connections among those with equal levels of power can provide a sense of friendship, intimacy, and understanding. Vertical connections offer mentorship opportunities (providing or receiving), respect (given or received), and boundary-making skill development. How strong is your need for these kinds of work connections?
Survival Hope Score:
13
Ancient Greek healers as well as modern-day medical investigators have touted the importance of hope for stress management and general wellbeing. Hope is distinguishable from optimism, confidence, or mere “expectation” by its association with difficult but not impossible challenges. Survival hope includes imaginative constructions of reality, fact-finding, development of options, and help-seeking. Does your workplace inspire you to believe a better future is possible? Does your workplace invest in you in ways that make you more skilled, and more employable if you had to move on from your current place of work? Does your workplace provide some flexibility and choice-making (roles, tasks, hours, etc.). We can translate Friedman and Havighurst's (1954) "income" and "life structure" functions of work into survival hope via resource-building and self-regulation or time-binding (work is something that life can be organized around).
/20
You may experience some (but not a great deal of) flexibility, skill-development opportunities, and feedback to assure you of a good future. Another possibility is that the workplace is unbalanced in nurturing survival hope. You may have flexibility and options but little skill-development opportunities. You might receive considerable feedback but see few options for lateral or upward mobility. Scholarly writings on hope emphasize a need for options (hopelessness is often equated to entrapment). In addition, the survival dimension of hope includes adaptability through action and imagination. A good work situation fosters this survival dimensional of hope if it provides some flexibility or "breathing room" for thought and action. If you read this paragraph closely, you can see that survival hope is multidimensional (options, imagination, ability to adapt or pivot). Which of these facets is/are most important to you: having options, room for imagination or creativity, skill-building for a flexible approach heading towards the future? Which of these are in greater or lesser supply in your workplace?
Spiritual Hope Score:
8
/20
For countless millennia, humanity has found hope in spiritual beliefs. From the perspective of our critical “MASS.” model, we view spirituality (broadly defined, not just religious), as essential for the full development of hopefulness. Humans cannot fully satisfy their needs for mastery, attachment, or salvation with ordinary responses to the world. Spirituality offers an important and extraordinary layer of empowerment, presence, and salvation. From this perspective, work can be viewed as one of several means of securing this additional layer of transcendent mastery, attachment, or survival experience (e.g., in addition to engagements with religious or spiritual belief systems). Friedman and Havighurst (1954) included purpose and meaning among their functions of work. A more recent study by Syahir et al. (2025) affirms linkages between employee wellbeing and spirituality in the workplace.
You cannot derive any sense of purpose or meaning from work. The workplace may not have a mission nor even a basic commitment (e.g., manufacturing “excellence”). Alternatively, you may sense that the workplace priorities do not align with a stated mission, or the workplace mission may not reflect your core values. However, as we stated elsewhere in the report, people vary in their sensitivity to issues of meaning and purpose, in or out of work. Issues of meaning and purpose may not be important to you. Alternatively, these issues matter but you find a sufficient degree of meaning and purpose outside of work and do not seek it within the workplace.
Critical Items Score:
10
/20
We created a critical item score by analyzing worker ratings of importance for each of the 16 items on our scale. We extracted the single item rated most important from the categories of Mastery Hope, Attachment Hope, Survival Hope, and Spiritual Hope. These items were all rated as highly important to workers. Again, these were not remote workers so we can presume their ratings reflect direct experiences of the workplace. The highest rated mastery item: The workplace leaders and staff respect me and others like me. The highest rated attachment item: The workplace leaders and staff do not trample on, or violate, your dignity. The highest rated survival item: My workplace provides training, skill-building, and other opportunities to make me more financially secure in the future. The highest rated spiritual item: The leadership and staff of my workplace do their best to create an environment that supports a higher purpose or mission.
Your workplace does not meet your minimal needs for a hopeful environment. As you reflect on your work environment, ask yourself if there is a primary problem that relates to meaning and purpose, relationships, or finances and security? Which of these issues are most critical to you? There is considerable psychological research showing that stress is most taxing on the mind and body when the stressor frustrates our most important needs. For example, if you are an extroverted, outgoing individual, the most critical item for you might involve the presence or absence of decent relationships characterized by dignity and fellowship. What aspects of the Critical MASS matter most to you (skill-building and flexibility, respect, dignity, purpose)? Can you offset these deficits via family, friends, hobbies, etc.? In short, can you find enough hope beyond the workplace ?
(survivalHopeScale): Survival Hope(survivalHopeBand): med(survivalHopeSum): 13(survivalHopeGauge): 65(survivalHopeDisplayText): You may experience some (but not a great deal of) flexibility, skill-development opportunities, and feedback to assure you of a good future. Another possibility is that the workplace is unbalanced in nurturing survival hope. You may have flexibility and options but little skill-development opportunities. You might receive considerable feedback but see few options for lateral or upward mobility. Scholarly writings on hope emphasize a need for options (hopelessness is often equated to entrapment). In addition, the survival dimension of hope includes adaptability through action and imagination. A good work situation fosters this survival dimensional of hope if it provides some flexibility or "breathing room" for thought and action. If you read this paragraph closely, you can see that survival hope is multidimensional (options, imagination, ability to adapt or pivot). Which of these facets is/are most important to you: having options, room for imagination or creativity, skill-building for a flexible approach heading towards the future? Which of these are in greater or lesser supply in your workplace? (survivalHopeDisplayTextId): b9dac252-cb53-4b78-801e-7824d8469905(masteryHopeScale): Mastery Hope(masteryHopeBand): low(masteryHopeSum): 12(masteryHopeGauge): 60(masteryHopeDisplayText): You feel underappreciated. Your skills, work ethic, or other contributions often go unnoticed. You may sense that the organization does not differentiate between good work and poor work. There is little effort to provide training that personally benefits you versus the organization’s “bottom-line.” However, as we note in another section of this report, individuals vary in how much they personally feel a need for mastery, attachment, survival, or spirituality. To some extent, these differences are based on early life experiences and what we internalize from these "formative" years. So ask yourself, how important is this dimension of your work life?(masteryHopeDisplayTextId): 68ef2db5-5ccc-4e97-a46c-c1329cfaa832(spiritualHopeScale): Spiritual Hope(spiritualHopeBand): low(spiritualHopeSum): 8(spiritualHopeGauge): 40(spiritualHopeDisplayText): You cannot derive any sense of purpose or meaning from work. The workplace may not have a mission nor even a basic commitment (e.g., manufacturing “excellence”). Alternatively, you may sense that the workplace priorities do not align with a stated mission, or the workplace mission may not reflect your core values. However, as we stated elsewhere in the report, people vary in their sensitivity to issues of meaning and purpose, in or out of work. Issues of meaning and purpose may not be important to you. Alternatively, these issues matter but you find a sufficient degree of meaning and purpose outside of work and do not seek it within the workplace. (spiritualHopeDisplayTextId): 9b428556-8440-444e-9bbf-6a3f09727cb1(totalWorkplaceHopeScale): Total Workplace Hope(totalWorkplaceHopeBand): low(totalWorkplaceHopeSum): 43(totalWorkplaceHopeGauge): 54(totalWorkplaceHopeDisplayText): Low Workplace Hope. Multiple elements of the Critical MASS may be in short supply at your workplace. You may feel alienated from other workers, colleagues, or members of the administration. Perhaps the problem is a lack of purposeful/meaningful work? Maybe the salary, benefits, or compensation is not sustainable to support you and/or loved ones. Which elements are essential for you to remain in this organization? A low score is unfortunate. The average adult spends approximately 1,800 hours per year at work. Can you think of ways to increase your feelings of mastery, attachment, survivability, or sense of purpose, within this organization, or outside of work if necessary? For problems with mastery, attachment, and even spirituality, it may be possible to complement your work life with activities that satisfy these needs more directly. If the problem is survival-related, you have at least three options: seek a different job or career for which you are qualified, seek a second source of income and remain at your job, seek training in your off-hours to make a future switch in work or career. Review your priorities and needs for both salary and benefits. Think in long-term and short-term time frames, and consider both your stability and growth needs. (totalWorkplaceHopeDisplayTextId): e1ed2ba6-be73-420d-9766-bbb132a9d390(criticalItemsScale): Critical Items(criticalItemsBand): low(criticalItemsSum): 10(criticalItemsGauge): 50(criticalItemsDisplayText): Your workplace does not meet your minimal needs for a hopeful environment. As you reflect on your work environment, ask yourself if there is a primary problem that relates to meaning and purpose, relationships, or finances and security? Which of these issues are most critical to you? There is considerable psychological research showing that stress is most taxing on the mind and body when the stressor frustrates our most important needs. For example, if you are an extroverted, outgoing individual, the most critical item for you might involve the presence or absence of decent relationships characterized by dignity and fellowship. What aspects of the Critical MASS matter most to you (skill-building and flexibility, respect, dignity, purpose)? Can you offset these deficits via family, friends, hobbies, etc.? In short, can you find enough hope beyond the workplace ?(criticalItemsDisplayTextId): 479377f8-4a67-4bf6-9682-c0176d25f1f2(attachmentHopeScale): Attachment Hope(attachmentHopeBand): low(attachmentHopeSum): 10(attachmentHopeGauge): 50(attachmentHopeDisplayText): You feel quite alone at work. This feeling may be due to differences in values or interests compared to others in the organization. You may feel a need to remain guarded. A very low score may suggest feelings of isolation and mistrust towards individuals or groups at multiple levels of the organization (horizontal and vertical alienation). The two forms of connection, vertical and horizontal, satisfy different attachment-related needs. For example, horizontal connections among those with equal levels of power can provide a sense of friendship, intimacy, and understanding. Vertical connections offer mentorship opportunities (providing or receiving), respect (given or received), and boundary-making skill development. How strong is your need for these kinds of work connections?(attachmentHopeDisplayTextId): a44539a6-da56-4f4c-aece-d117afd4a4d5