Control Beliefs and Positive Psychological Capital

Entrepreneurs have been portrayed in a positive light as being dreamers, opportunity seekers, resilient, optimistic, and self- confident. The search for understanding the lens through which nascent entrepreneurs approach or perceive opportunities is a cornerstone of entrepreneurship research carrying significant practical implications. An important step in understanding how nascent entrepreneurs perceive opportunities is by understanding their perception of control over their environment. While the constructs that form the psychological capital construct, hope, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy are all revered characteristics and highly associated with entrepreneurs, the consequences of these being applied to situations where the individual actually has a misplaced sense of control may have dire consequences.