Positive resources for psychiatry in the fourth industrial revolution: building patient and family focused psychological capital (PsyCap)

Abstract

COVID-19 is altering the world, impacting every facet of life, and driving an associated global paradigm shift. Threats to our individual, family, team, community, and global well-being consume our attention at the potential price of our well-being and performance. The time to respond with scientific approaches to protect our most precious assets – people – is now. COVID-19, unstable geopolitical systems, and accelerated scientific and technological breakthroughs are characteristic of what has been identified as a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This 4IR is placing a premium on solutions that are validated to increase well-being, especially those that simultaneously significantly increase performance. Psychological Capital or simply PsyCap has emerged as a leading evidence-based positive approach to human development, drawing from previously largely untapped psychological resources (Hope, Efficacy, Resilience and Optimism or the HERO within). Although there is an extensive, growing body of PsyCap academic research in all levels of analysis and domains, there is still a void in PsyCap’s applications within psychiatry. The purpose of this article is to review PsyCap applications and its implications for the practice of psychiatry, especially within the context of 4IR and the second wave of Positive Psychology (PP 2.0). Specific attention is given to evidence-based, non-stigma applications for the effective practice of psychiatry.

Keywords:

• Psychological capital
• PsyCap
• fourth industrial revolution
• positive psychology
• hope
• efficacy
• resilience
• optimism
• HERO within

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).