The aim of this study was to examine whether the association between psychological capital (PsyCap; which is comprised of hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism) and optimal engagement is mediated by positive emotions. Three studies were conducted across different cultural contexts (Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China, and the Philippines), domains (academic and work), and age groups (adult employees and school-aged adolescents). Study 1 was a cross-sectional study conducted among 162 employees in Mainland China. Study 2 was a cross-sectional study conducted among 71 secondary school students in Hong Kong SAR. Study 3 was a prospective study conducted among 404 secondary school students in the Philippines. Across the three studies, the positive effect of PsyCap on engagement (academic and work) was partially mediated by positive emotions. This study enriches the understanding of the processes through which PsyCap is associated with optimal outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
In this article, we aim to conceptualize and formalize the construct of resilience using the tools of active inference, a new physics-based modeling approach apt for the description and analysis of complex adaptive systems. We intend this as a first step toward a computational model of resilient systems. We begin by offering a conceptual analysis of resilience, to clarify its meaning, as established in the literature. We examine an orthogonal, threefold distinction between meanings of the word “resilience”: (i) inertia, or the ability to resist change (ii) elasticity, or the ability to bounce back from a perturbation, and (iii) plasticity, or the ability to flexibly expand the repertoire of adaptive states. We then situate all three senses of resilience within active inference. We map resilience as inertia onto high precision beliefs, resilience as elasticity onto relaxation back to characteristic (i.e., attracting) states, and resilience as plasticity onto functional redundancy and structural degeneracy.
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