ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief summary of R. Lazarus and S. Folkman's Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. It reviews a number of positive personality traits and the mechanisms they use to influence primary appraisals, secondary appraisals, and coping efforts for workplace stress. The chapter discusses how organizations can promote these strengths within their employees and evaluate the extent to which organizational interventions to promote these positive personality traits have proven successful. Positive personality traits may also ultimately lead to lower levels of burnout as a result. The chapter considers the limitations in the literature and suggests possible directions for future research. Empirical research suggests that psychological capital resources can be developed through brief training interventions. The chapter also reviews personality traits that have been most researched with respect to the positive role that they can play in creating a stress-free workplace. This includes: positive affectivity, subjective well-being, extraversion, psychological capital, hardiness, and internal locus of control.
