Psychological Approaches to Promoting Psychological Well-Being in Workplaces: A Positive Psychology-Based Theoretical Framework

Psychological well-being has become an increasingly important concern for contemporary workplaces as organizations confront occupational stress, workload pressures, rapid technological change, work-family demands, and changing expectations regarding meaningful employment. Traditional organizational approaches have frequently emphasized the prevention of psychological distress and the management of workplace risks. Although these approaches remain essential, a complementary positive psychology perspective focuses on the conditions that enable employees not merely to avoid psychological difficulties but to flourish. The present theoretical paper develops an integrative framework for promoting psychological well-being in workplaces through positive psychology approaches. Drawing on the PERMA model of well-being, self-determination theory, the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, psychological capital, job demands-resources theory, strengths-based approaches, and positive organizational practices, the paper proposes the Positive Workplace Psychological Well-Being Framework (PWPWF). The framework conceptualizes workplace well-being as a dynamic process arising from interactions among individual psychological resources, interpersonal relationships, leadership practices, job characteristics, and organizational culture. It proposes five interconnected pathways: positive emotional experiences, strengths and engagement, meaningful relationships, purpose and meaning, and accomplishment and psychological growth. These pathways are supported by autonomy, competence, relatedness, psychological capital, job resources, and psychologically supportive organizational environments. The framework further proposes that organizational interventions should operate simultaneously at individual, interpersonal, leadership, and organizational levels rather than placing responsibility for well-being exclusively on employees. The paper concludes with theoretical propositions, practical implications, and limitations. The revised framework is formalized through a conceptual diagram, explicit hypotheses, a construct-boundary matrix, and defined contextual boundary conditions to support future empirical testing.

psychological well-being; positive psychology; workplace well-being

1. Kadolkar, I., Kepes, S., & Subramony, M. (2025). Algorithmic management in the gig economy: A systematic review and research integration. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 46(7), 1057–1080. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2831 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Marzocchi, I., Nielsen, K., Di Tecco, C., Vignoli, M., Ghelli, M., Ronchetti, M., & Iavicoli, S. (2024). Job demands and resources and their association with employee well-being in the European healthcare sector: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective research. Work & Stress, 38(3), 293–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2024.2308812 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands–Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Deci, E. L., Olafsen, A. H., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory in work organizations: The state of a science. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 19–43. (Self-Determination Theory) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. (PubMed Central (PMC)) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2007). Psychological capital: Developing the human competitive edge. Oxford University Press. (OUP Academic) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Nielsen, K., Nielsen, M. B., Ogbonnaya, C., Känsälä, M., Saari, E., & Isaksson, K. (2017). Workplace resources to improve both employee well-being and performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Work & Stress, 31(2), 101–120. (White Rose Research Online) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Slemp, G. R., Kern, M. L., & Vella-Brodrick, D. A. (2015). Workplace well-being: The role of job crafting and autonomy support. Psychology of Well-Being, 5, 7. (Self-Determination Theory) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Van den Broeck, A., Ferris, D. L., Chang, C.-H., & Rosen, C. C. (2016). A review of self-determination theory's basic psychological needs at work. Journal of Management, 42(5), 1195–1229. (Self-Determination Theory) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Aust, B., Leduc, C., Cresswell-Smith, J., et al. (2024). The effects of different types of organisational workplace mental health interventions on mental health and wellbeing in healthcare workers: A systematic review. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 97, 485–522. (PubMed) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Orhan Pees, S., van Oostrom, S., Lettinga, H., Schaafsma, F., & Proper, K. (2024). Effects of interventions implemented by occupational health professionals to prevent work-related stress complaints: A systematic review. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 81(6), 321–328. (PubMed) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• A Comparative Study of Adjustment Level, Parental Income and Academic Achievement of Adolescent Girls
• Increase in STIs among Adolescents in Masvingo District
• A Correlation between SDG 4 (Quality Education) and Emotional Disposition of Teacher Educators in Hyderabad District
• Ear Piercing Behaviour and Self-Esteem among Male University Students in Nigeria
• A Study of Religiosity and Psychological Well-Being