Psychological Capital

Essays by David Chan (20152017)

This book is the second collection of twenty-one essays by behavioural scientist Professor David Chan. The essays in the book first appeared in The Straits Times from March 2015 to September 2017. They discuss a wide range of topics including the different types of commitment to country, diversity and cohesion, people-centric policies and unintended consequences in policymaking, futures thinking, maladaptive cynicism and healthy scepticism, ambivalence from mixed feelings, terrorism, the psychology of power, separating sincere apologies from insincere ones, the impact of socio-political humour, and finding one's own meaning in life. A common theme that runs through these essays is developing "Psychological Capital" to build a strong society of individuals and communities — one that is able to pursue positive things but also able to handle shocks, failures and unmet expectations. This book goes beyond examining critical issues that matter to people, policymaking and nation building, and why they do, to focus on translating the "knowing what" and "knowing why" to "knowing how" and "knowing when". Endorsed by fifty leaders from different sectors, this book provides a powerful springboard for self-reflections, internal and public discussions, and individual and collective actions.

Contents:

• Here's What Fifty Leaders From Different Sectors Said About This Book ...
• About the Author
• Preface
• Getting Better at Discussing Population Issues
• The Emotional Commitment that Mr Lee Inspired
• If We Have No Differences, We Would Be In Trouble
• Lets Talk About Commitment
• Putting Singapore Above Self
• Thinking About the Future Now
• 7 "PC" Ways to Make People-Centric Policies
• Why It's Not Enough for Leaders to Just be Clever
• Learning to See Things From Another's Perspective
• Find Your Own Meaning in Life
• Lessons for Singapore From Schooling's Win
• Elected Presidency Changes: It's Not Just About the Politics
• In a Funk Over Trump?
• 2016: A Year of Looking to the Future
• The Unbearable Weight of Power
• What a Cobra Bounty Says About Unintended Policy Consequences
• Say You're Sorry: How to Suss Out an Insincere Apology
• To Tell or Not to Tell, That is the Question
• How to Respond to Threats With More than Fight or Flight
• Jokes About Politics: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
• Build Psychological Capital Now for Strong Society

Readership: Academics, undergraduate and graduates students, professionals interested in social and behavioural issues in Singapore; civil servants, NGOs; general public.
Key Features:

• This is the second collection of a series of 21 essays that examine the various social and behavioural issues that have continuously received wide public and policy attention both in and outside Singapore. Using "psychological capital" as the theme of the book, each essay (chapter) presents a state-of-the-art analysis based on scientific rigour and practical relevance, identifies critical unresolved issues and proposes innovative solutions to the problems identified
• The author is well-known award-winning academic, consultant, and public intellectual both locally and internationally. The diversity of the essays and their insights will provide a very wide reach and multiplier effect in the readership market
• The book has received a long list of book endorsements from 50 public figures who are leaders in different sectors including Singapore Cabinet Ministers, academics and university leaders, and leaders in the public, private and people sectors. See endorsements in Front Matter of book