HOPE AND DEPRESSION A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS英文文献.pdfVIP

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 23, No. 3, 2004, pp. 347-351 SNYDERHOPE AND DEPRESSION HOPE AND DEPRESSION: A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS C. R. SNYDER The University of Kansas, Lawrence It is suggested that balance is a fundamental and adaptive aspect of human exis- tence. Using this premise, the author presents hope as a natural balancing force against depression. The Schoeneman, Schoeneman, and Stallings article differs from the typical fare in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology . Instead of re- counting an experiment, this study analyzes the content of William Styron’s book Darkness Visible, which is an autobiographical render- ing of his bout with depression. Although this target article breaks new ground in terms of its approach, I found that the take-home mes- sage was a revered one in our field. Namely, I believe Schoeneman et al.’s careful analysis of the metaphorical content of Styron’s book shows the importance of a sense of balance in attaining psychological health. At this point, you may be wondering how balance can be gleaned from the writings of a person who is in the throes of a profound, clini- cal depression—as most certainly William Styron was. Indeed, the se- verely depressed person is swamped with catastrophizing thoughts. Everything seems bad through the lens of depression, as relation- ships, work, and other life arenas are covered with a shroud of dark- ness. Styron tells us that unless we have been truly depressed, we can- not understand the depths of despair that are reached. It was only when I made this plunge into depression myself—because of the ef- fects of severe and chronic physical pain—that I knew how true this is. Address correspondence to C. R. Snyder, Psychology Department, 340 Fraser Hall, The University of Kansas, 1415 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045; E-mail: crsnyder@ku.edu.