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International Journal of Innovations & Research Analysis (IJIRA) [ Vol. 6 | No. 3(I) | July - September, 2026 ]

Integrating Psychological Traits and Entrepreneurial Behaviours: A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Entrepreneurial Success

Paul Thomas & Prof. (Dr.) Vipul Vithal

Economic conditions, resources, opportunities, personality or strategic behaviour have been usually used to explain entrepreneurial success. However, these views tend to consider the psychological traits and entrepreneurial actions as distinct factors, providing only a partial answer to the question of why some entrepreneurs turn uncertainty into successful on-going business while others don't. This conceptual review builds an integrated framework to account for sustainable entrepreneurial success as a result of the interplay among enduring psychological dispositions, malleable psychological resources (particularly psychological capital), cognitive mechanisms, observable entrepreneurial behaviours and contextual conditions. We believe that the effects of the self-efficacy, resilience, emotional intelligence and stability, proactive personality, openness to experience and calibrated risk tolerance are more likely to manifest in the processes of opportunity recognition, strategic decision-making, networking, resource mobilisation, adaptability, innovation and persistence. Entrepreneurial behaviour therefore serves as the key link between psychological potential and venture-level outcomes. The framework also acknowledges that relationships may be enhanced, diminished, or refocused by the dynamism, technological change, social capital, and institutional conditions and cultural context. Sustainable entrepreneurial success is defined as a capability to sustain the venture in terms of its survival, adaptation, innovation, responsible growth and entrepreneur's health and well-being over a period of time and not just in terms of immediate financial performance. Based on social cognitive theory, psychological capital (PsyCap) theory, entrepreneurial orientation, social capital theory, effectuation and dynamic-capabilities thinking, we offer a multilevel psychological-behavioural-contextual model and formulate testable propositions. The framework also has the advantage of bringing the study of entrepreneurship into a new perspective by focusing not only on the individual characteristics, but also on how the psychological resources are converted into entrepreneurial action and entrepreneurial success.

Thomas, P. & Vithal, V. (2026). Integrating Psychological Traits and Entrepreneurial Behaviours: A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Entrepreneurial Success. International Journal of Innovations & Research Analysis, 06(03(I)), 101–111. https://doi.org/10.62823/IJIRA/06.3(I).9313
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Core empirical and review papers on psychological capital, well-being and resilience

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Entrepreneurial self-efficacy, curvilinear effects and decision logics

  1. Chen, X., & Zhang, S. X. (2024). Too much of two good things: The curvilinear effects of self-efficacy and market validation in new ventures. Journal of Business Research, 183, 114845. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114845
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Entrepreneurial orientation, dynamic capabilities and performance

  1. Rauch, A., Wiklund, J., Lumpkin, G. T., & Frese, M. (2009). Entrepreneurial orientation and business performance: An assessment of past research and suggestions for the future. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 33(3), 761–787.
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Social capital, networks and firm performance

  1. Stam, W., Arzlanian, S., & Elfring, T. (2014). Social capital of entrepreneurs and small firm performance: A meta-analysis of contextual and methodological moderators. Journal of Business Venturing, 29(1), 152–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2013.01.002
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Effectuation, causation and decision-making under uncertainty

  1. Sarasvathy, S. D. (2008). Effectuation: Elements of entrepreneurial expertise. Edward Elgar.
  2. Read, S., Dew, N., Sarasvathy, S. D., Song, M., & Wiltbank, R. (2009). Marketing under uncertainty: The logic of an effectual approach. Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 1–16.
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  4. Synergizing causation and effectuation for innovation in new ventures. (2026). Journal of Small Business Management, 64(2), 112–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2025.2544843

Entrepreneurial well-being, burnout and sustainable success

  1. Barbosa, R. M. A., Pérez-Nebra, A. R., &Villajos, E. (2024). The entrepreneur’s well-being: Current state of the literature and main theories. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 14(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40497-024-00412-5
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  4. Burnout and entrepreneurial satisfaction: The mediating effect of psychological capital in the context of Sindh-Pakistan. (2026). International Journal of Social Sciences Bulletin, 4(5), 25–41.
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Resilience, dynamic capabilities and SME performance

  1. Beyond the crisis: An empirical model of entrepreneurial resilience in SMEs. (2026). Revista de Economía Mundial, 42(1), 30–52. https://doi.org/10.13156/rem.2026.42.1.30
  2. Archetypes of SME resilience: A systematic literature review of antecedents, types and outcomes of resilience in SMEs. (2026). University of Huddersfield Press. https://doi.org/10.15641/uop.2026.0012
  3. Enacting resilience through entrepreneurial ambidexterity in emerging economies. (2026). International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 22(2), 215–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-026-01210-z

Intention–behaviour gap, proactive personality and opportunity recognition

  1. Tetteh, C., Osei, A., & Mensah, K. (2025). Bridging the entrepreneurial intention–action gap: A systematic review and research agenda. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2587397. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2587397
  2. Jiatong, W., Li, X., & Zhang, Y. (2022). From COVID-19 pandemic to entrepreneurial behavior: The mediating role of proactive personality. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 892345. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.892345
  3. Karami, M., Rezaei, M., & Gholami, A. (2025). Creativity, entrepreneurial alertness and opportunity recognition: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Business Research, 158, 113–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.113663

Context, culture and dynamic capabilities

  1. The role of entrepreneurial education and autonomous culture in shaping entrepreneurs’ sensing, seizing and transforming capabilities. (2026). International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 22(1), 45–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-026-01169-x
  2. Palmer, C., Niemand, T., Stöckmann, C., Kraus, S., & Kailer, N. (2019). The interplay of entrepreneurial orientation and psychological traits in explaining firm performance. Journal of Business Research, 94, 388–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.10.009
  3. Farrukh, M., Alzubi, Y., Shahzad, I. A., Waheed, A., & Kanwal, N. (2018). Entrepreneurial intentions: The role of personality traits in perspective of theory of planned behaviour. Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(3), 342–355. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJIE-07-2018-0049

Additional high-impact recent reviews and meta-analyses

  1. Psychological capital in entrepreneurship: A systematic literature review. (2025). Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 32(5), 789–812. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-11-2024-0588
  2. Entrepreneurial orientation: A systematic literature review and future research agenda. (2025). Journal of Management History, 31(4), 456–478. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMH-03-2025-0012
  3. Entrepreneurial orientation and SME performance: A systematic review (2020–2025). (2025). International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 31(6), 1123–1145. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-06-2025-0567.

DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/IJIRA/06.3(I).9313

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/IJIRA/06.3(I).9313

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