Toward an integrative psychological framework of existential hope: navigating uncertain futures

Current positive psychological theories conceptualize hope primarily as a cognitive-motivational process, involving beliefs about one's capacity to generate pathways to desired goals and the perceived agency to pursue them. Such models implicitly rely on a temporality characterized by predictability and control. However, this assumption is not valid for contexts of radical uncertainty in which the future cannot be meaningfully anticipated or is perceived as threatening. This paper articulates an innovative, integrative framework of existential hope informed by a narrative review of the literature that draws on existential, cognitive, and behavioral perspectives. Existential hope is defined as a foundational psychological stance toward life and the future, grounded in existential trust, sustained by a sense of meaning, and expressed through agency - the commitment to act in ways that improve life - even under conditions of uncertainty and perceived threat. In the proposed framework, hope is existential when it is sustained by a belief in the possibility of a good life in the future, even when current developments appear to undermine or contradict such a future. As such, this paper first delineates three core components of existential hope: existential trust, meaning, and agency. It then describes the psychological processes through which individuals may transform experiences of radical uncertainty or existential threat into existential hope, including embracing uncertainty, articulating values, futuring, and relational orienting. Next, the paper discusses how the cultivation of existential hope may contribute to beneficial outcomes, such as increased well-being and civic engagement, alongside reductions in psychological distress. Finally, several pathways for future empirical research are outlined.