Abstract:

Proverbs are utilised to perceive and give meaning to new situations and events encountered with the transfer of the accumulation of experience obtained from experiences and observations from generation to generation. Life is filled with bittersweet experiences. Distressing conditions cause negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and despair. Under challenging life circumstances, people may lose hope for good things that may come to pass. A person may think that he/she cannot achieve what he/she wants and may lose the will to put forth effort. In such situations in daily life, it is common to use proverbs that gives hope that the outcome may be positive. The use of proverbs that inspire hope in social environments can quickly and effectively affect a person's negative feelings and thoughts. The concept of hope, with its meanings as "positive expectation about the future", "there may be alternative ways even if looks like there is no option", "permanence of making effort", makes the person feel good and motivates him/her to act in line with the goal he/she wants to be realised. The use of proverbs that conditions may change in the future and that the person should not give up making efforts may give hope to the person. Proverbs can be a positive suggestion tool in emotional coping against negative situations. According to the perspective of positive psychology, it is important to use the resources of individuals' own culture in ensuring psychological well-being. In this study, among the sources that provide hope, proverbs suggesting hope that belong to the individual's own language and culture, which constitute the individual's world of thought, were discussed and their psychological aspects were analysed. As a result of the study, it may be stated that proverbs that suggest hope contribute to psychological well-being.

Keywords: