Edited by Mental Health Deepi Hooda Risks and Resources NovRattan Sharma Publish by Global Vision Publishing House Wellness and Positive Psychological Capital Kaveri Chauhan, Nov Rattan Sharma and Amrita Yadava It is assumed that an individual, who is well, is a healthy being. Wellness can have varying, widely accepted meaning as it’s conceptualization depends on the context. Wellness should be the focus when considering the human being (employee) in a balanced entity, aiming at reaching optimum well-being, satisfaction and gainfully employed. There is a need in the field of organizational psychology, human resource management, sociology and those researching and applying wellness in the workplace to have a common conceptualization for wellness (Job Satisfaction, subjective well- being and gainful employment), where these concepts are integrated by using an holistic approach (Chauhan, 2013). Thompson (1997) defines wellness as “an attitude characterized by a strong sense of personal responsibility that is also characterized by the intentional choice of healthier life and balance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health”. According to Reardon (1998) wellness can be defined as “a composite of physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, and social health; health promotion is the means to achieve wellness” A review of literature provides many different definitions of wellness. Wicken (2000) defines wellness as “….an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful Kaveri Chauhan, Junior Research fellow, RAC, DRDO, New Delhi. [email protected] Akbar Husain, Professor & Head, Department of Psychology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. Amrita Yadava, Professor, Department of Psychology, M. D. University, Rohtak [email protected] 112 Mental Health: Risks and Resources existence”. Reese (2001) refers to wellness as… “a self awareness process of health and altering behavior, aiming towards a healthier physical, mental, emotional, psychological, occupational and spiritual state”. Thus, in concrete terms, wellness can be considered as an individual’s ability to bounce back and to cope with day to day challenges. In the work sector, employees’ wellness can be considered as the centre of lifestyle choices and form the basis of new work style where employees expect their employers to provide them with options and services in terms of increasing their well-being, satisfaction with job, information and training, varieties in duty, promotion and also gainful employment. COMPONENTS OF WELLNESS It is clear from the definitions that wellness of a person can be related to so many aspects of health such as, physical, spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional and occupational wellness. In the context of employee wellness, two main components of wellness are the emotional (well-being) and occupational (job satisfaction and gainful employment) health of the employee. These variables can be taken into consideration for measuring and studying employees’ wellness. Job Satisfaction Generally people spend almost half of their life at the workplace without a feeling of satisfaction with their work. Sometimes job is an obligation for them, as they have to work for their livelihood. Job satisfaction can be used to describe and conceptualize the meaning of wellness in the context of employment. Employees bring intellectual and physical abilities and time to their jobs. Many individuals try to make a difference in their lives and in the lives of others through working. A salary cheque is not the only motive for wanting a job. Jobs can be used to attain special goals. When a job meets or exceeds an individual’s expectation, the individual often experiences positive emotions. These positive emotions represent job satisfaction. The term job satisfaction, which could be considered Wellness and Positive Psychological Capital 113 as individuals’ attitudes towards their jobs, has been examined not only by organisational scientists as a human behaviour influencing organisations, but also psychologists and social psychologists because these occur in society and affect communities. The end product of job satisfaction is self described happiness, also called subjective well-being. Since the dawn of civilization great thinkers have discussed the quality of human existence and “the good life.” To some individuals the ideal state is one of wealth, to others, having significant relationships, while some report helping those in needs is central. These individuals vary in external circumstance, yet they may share a subjective feeling of well-being. The term “subjective well-being” refers to people’s evaluations of their lives - including cognitive judgments, such as life satisfaction; and affective evaluations (moods and emotions), such as positive and negative emotional feelings. Subjective well-being as potential psychological capital encompasses one’s perception and feelings of emotional well-being which includes positive and negative affects, life satisfaction, and happiness; psychological well-being i.e. self acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life (Hooda, Yadava, Sharma, (2010). Diener (1984) used the term subjective well-being to describe individuals’ overall experience in life and suggested that it essentially reflected employees’ self-described happiness. The meaning of happiness is used to denote the preponderance of positive affects such as joy, interest, and pride over the negative affects such as sadness, anxiety, and anger (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). Subjective well-being is composed of several major components, including global life satisfaction, contentment with specific life domains, the presence of frequent positive affect (pleasant moods and emotions), and a relative absence of negative affect (unpleasant moods and emotions). The major components are reduced into more specific elements. Positive affect is commonly divided into joy, elation, contentment, pride, affection, happiness and ecstasy. Negative affect is separated into guilt and shame, sadness, anxiety and worry, anger, stress, depression, and envy. 114 Mental Health: Risks and Resources Gainful Employment Sigmund Freud was the first person who used the bold statement that a healthy life is one in which a person has the ability to love and to work (O’Brien, 2003). Snyder (2007) coined the term gainful employment to study this kind of concept. Simply defined gainful employment is the work one can do for income, and income drives the livelihood and purchasing power with a few exceptions. An employment would be regarded as gainful if an individual is engaged in it with a wish, expectation and purpose of obtaining remuneration or benefit in return for services or hard work. It is in fact paid for services performed, whether or not there is any desire expectation or intention of obtaining compensation. Gainful employment is also called worthwhile or profitable employment; an occupation that pays an income. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the Gainful Employment Rule “requires schools to provide their students with an education adequate enough for them to pay their college loans back” so that they will be gainfully employed after they graduate from college. In October 2010, the Barack Obama administration designed a set of rules to provide aid for the educational institutions. They expect this funding to protect students from inappropriate recruiting practices and increase information about the quality and effectiveness of college and training programs. Income apparently appears to be the primary extrinsic motivation for undertaking a job, as it is instrumental in meeting the basic needs of an individual. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs provides a theoretical basis for understanding the concept of gainful employment. Initially the quest of an individual is to satisfy physiological needs which include food, drink, and shelter, without fulfillment of which the other basic needs of life cannot be met. Employment provides the means to maintain a satisfying lifestyle. The next level is the need for personal and psychological safety i.e. protecting oneself and one’s family. This need is met through job security, benefits, on the job safety and the potential for advancement and minimal stress at work. The need for belongingness, affiliation, acceptance, and feeling fulfilled and appreciated is also met by the Wellness and Positive Psychological Capital 115 way a person feels and the things they do to ensure their, and their family’s happiness and the need for co-workers to interact and relate to one another. The next step is the need for a positive self- esteem which is important in the quest of self-actualization as it is associated with the employee’s abilities, confidence, and loyalty and is dictated by the frequency of positive recognition, additional responsibilities, and the possibility of high status within the company. This need hierarchy is reflected in the nine benefits of gainful employment proposed by Snyder and Lopez (2007) which are as follows: 1. Variety in duties performed 2. Safe working environment 3. Income for family and oneself 4. A purpose derived from providing a product or service 5. Happiness and satisfaction 6. Positive engagement and involvement 7. A sense of performing well and meeting goals 8. Friendships at work 9. An environment that respects and appreciates diversity Thus, gainful employment is based less on one’s external work environment and more on one’s perspective of employment