In this article, we sometimes use the term “possible” as
a shortcut to the expression “uncertain but possible” or simply
“uncertain” for three reasons: (1) The term “possibility”
is endemic in the definition of hope offered by several hope
researchers (Gelwick 1979; Haase et al. 1992); (2) it is logically
correct (i.e., a person does not hope for something
that is uncertain per se but for something that is possible
even though it is uncertain); and (3) from a clarity of exposition
perspective, it is simpler (i.e., stating that a person
regards an outcome as “impossible” is simpler than stating
that a person is “certain that an outcome will not occur”).
The term “possibility” is embedded in “uncertainty” and
thus is strongly consistent with appraisal theory.