Positive mindset: PsyCap’s roles in PERMA+4 and positive organizational psychology, behavior, and scholarship 2.0

Abstract

This paper explores the role of mindset and Positive Organizational Psychology (POP) in modern workplaces amid increasing acknowledgment of mental and emotional attitudes influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. It discusses the shift in focus from traditional problem-centric approaches in behavioral sciences to a balanced perspective that encompasses both strengths and deficits, as advocated by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi. This shift has given rise to Positive Organizational Behavior (POB) and Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS), emphasizing human resource strengths and psychological capacities. The paper draws on the PERMA+4 framework, an extension of Seligman’s original model incorporating Physical Health, Mindset, Work Environment, and Economic Security alongside Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment to emphasize the unique role of Positive Mindset. It specifically describes promising research on work-related well-being and optimal work performance, evidence-based practices, and programs at the worker, supervisor/leader, group, and organizational level of analysis. Relatedly, this paper illustrates how one of the most empirically sound constructs within the positive psychology literature, Psychological Capital (PsyCap), can be used to cultivate the essential building block of Positive Mindset toward well-being practices, programs, and applications and more broadly, positive organizational psychology, behavior, and scholarship 2.0 research and applications at multiple levels of analysis. PsyCap theory, research, and evidence-based practices and applications will be discussed in light of how employees’ Positive Mindsets improve the quality of workplaces and the effectiveness of organizations.