ABSTRACT
Psychologists talk about psychological capital. It refers to four qualities that serve as an asset to individuals, allowing them to overcome difficulties and achieve better outcomes. These include self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resiliency (Luthans and Youssef, 2004). Self-efficacy is a feeling of being in control of oneself and able to meet the challenges of the moment. Optimism is a belief that any negative factor is likely to be temporary and specific to a situation while the positive factors are permanent and more general. Hope is ‘having the will power and the pathways to attain one’s goals’. Resilience is the ability to tough it out through adversity and to bounce back from disappointments and failures. These qualities are seen to contribute to better work performance and psychological health.
