PsyCap Research Research Articles

A bibliometric study of positive psychological capital: investigating intellectual foundations through co-citation and content analyses

AbstractSince its inception in the early 2000s, the growing popularity of positive psychological capital (i.e., PsyCap) has been accompanied by robust debates. Critics assert that PsyCap research is plagued by suboptimal theoretical foundations, disregard for rigorous methodologies, and cult-like cronyism. Leveraging bibliometric data based on 937 primary documents, 28,428 secondary documents, 9714 sources, and 18,247 authors, we conduct document, source, and author co-citation analyses to examine the intellectual foundations of PsyCap and, thus, the veracity of these critiques. We extend this comprehensive scientific mapping of the PsyCap field with an in-depth content analysis of the 100 most frequently co-cited secondary documents. Results suggest that the PsyCap field is built upon solid theoretical foundations in psychology published in reputable, peer-reviewed journals. The authors of secondary documents consider the typical organizational behavior methodological approaches, emphasizing correlational designs. And, although somewhat insular, the research that underlies the PsyCap field consists of a distribution of contributing authors and journals. Finally, we discuss implications for the practical application of positive psychology tenets and prescriptions for scholars researching PsyCap.

Validation of the PCQ-5: A Short Form to Measure State Positive Psychological Capital

Positive psychological capital (PsyCap) is a key measure of workplace positivity, yet its organizational impact may be somewhat limited by current measurement practices. Given its state-like and malleable nature, organizations need accurate yet brief measures to allow for repeated measurement of PsyCap. A very short PsyCap instrument could be used in various ways by organizations to measure and track employee positivity, thus enabling management to make decisions with more insight. Similarly, for researchers, a much shorter scale could dramatically improve research efficiency and response rate, opening up new perspectives in PsyCap research. In this paper, initial evidence is provided for the validity of a short PsyCap measure across multiple samples of working adult populations ( N = 1331 in total) from four different countries (United States, China, Germany, and Hungary). Consistent with prior research, we propose a five-item PsyCap measure, the PCQ-5, consisting of one item from the dimensions of self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism and one item for each facet of the hope dimension (agency and pathways). The proposed PCQ-5 shows internal consistency reliability and good fit for a single factor global PsyCap model across all samples. Moreover, like the PCQ-24, the PCQ-5 is associated with meaningful workplace outcomes such as job performance, job satisfaction, OCBs, voice, and helping behaviors, and it is negatively related to deviant behaviors like CWBs.