Proactivity for Mental Health and Well‐Being

This chapter focuses specifically on the relationship between proactivity and health. The first section provides a brief overview of research on proactivity, with a particular emphasis on its motivational underpinnings. The second introduces an overall model of the effects that proactivity might have on mental health and well‐being. Drawing upon self‐determination theory, as well as the broaden‐and‐build theory of emotions, the third section describes how being proactive at work might invigorate employees' well‐being and/or prevent stress in the workplace. The fourth section introduces the resource‐depletion pathway of proactivity, and discusses when and how proactive behavior might be detrimental to employees' mental health and well‐being. Finally, the chapter suggests practical implications for managers and practitioners, such as how to create a work environment that encourages proactive behavior that is good for mental health, as well as key areas and theoretical issues that need to be addressed in future research.