The role of courage in subjective well-being: research on career construction and working behavior

In the context of psychological literature, the role of courage has only recently been considered; in fact, the definition of courage is still subject of investigation. The more recent conceptualizations of courage agree in including three aspects: the presence of fear, the intentionality of the action, and a significant goal. As career transitions and managing a job are increasingly challenging experiences, today, there is a growing interest in exploring the role of courage in facing changes in professional careers, in an uncertain, unpredictable, and risky context. The present contribution will report a review on recent studies, conducted on workers and future workers, that have deepened the relationships between courage and other career-related and work-related psychological dimensions (career adaptability, career readiness, employability, meaningful work), and the role played by courage in affecting subjective wellbeing, domain-specific wellbeing (i.e., academic) and quality of life.