At first it may appear a little surprising that ‘hope’ is included on the list of moral values tested within the MoralDNA™ Profile. After all, can someone’s judgment on how full or how empty their metaphorical glass is, impact upon their wider moral outlook and occupation?
The answer is, yes it can and does.
Hope is the moral value that enables us to believe in the good of humanity, even when we ourselves have been hurt. Hope enables us to be generous, kind and giving to others; through hope we believe that things will get better because of our or someone else’s efforts.
In our MoralDNA™ Profile, one of the factors we measure is Hope and the pattern that emerges by occupation is fascinating.
Topping the list of occupations with the most optimism is Religion, as it is arguable that part of their work is to support people during difficult times – offering them hope and consolation. The occupations that followed, also scoring highly on Hope include: Investment, Sales, Human Resources, Travel and Leisure, Marketing, Business Consultants, and Real Estate. All these occupations look to the future. Also high on hope were more down to earth occupations, including Automobiles & Parts, Telecoms and Oil & Gas.
Who then is languishing at the less optimistic end of the scale? Chemicals is at the bottom of the list followed by those in Politics and Central Government. Following on from our revealing test data in Trust, Care, and Honesty, these low scores on Hope are concerning for those whose aim it is to lead us. Hard on the heels of Politics we find Creative, Legal, Non-Government Organisations and New Media. Also at the lower end are Armed Services personnel and the Retired
Having a more positive outlook on life can help us better cope with difficulties and help us reach our goals. People without hope give up. Positive Psychology, a recent branch of psychology, highlights just how much hope matters; how “being drawn by the future rather than driven by the past” helps create fulfilled, creative and happier human beings – something every individual, community and occupation would surely benefit from.
How hopeful are you in the decisions you make? Join over 80,000 people from over 200 countries around the world and find out more about your values and how you make decisions.