Even if university teachers accept the principles of professional ethics, they often find it hard to put them into practice when fair assessment, responsible supervision, or correcting mistakes require a personal sacrifice. This article provides a theoretical account of how psychological capital facilitates the internalisation of professional ethics in such contexts. It identifies three interrelated functions. First, ethical identification shapes the professional commitments that individuals choose to uphold. Second, psychological capital provides the resources required to honour these commitments. Third, organisational support sustains the ongoing fulfilment of such commitments. Self-efficacy motivates individuals to undertake difficult ethical actions, and hope provides legitimate ways of coping with obstacles. Resilience keeps people involved in making corrections following setbacks, and optimism helps to sustain the belief that improvement is possible. Two analytical tables set out the mechanisms and the organisational arrangements by means of which they can function. Four propositions explain why the development of such resources should be combined with professional reasoning, with credible protection, and with opportunities for repair. Therefore, the account sees the internalisation of ethics as occurring through repeated instances of self-endorsed practice and offers a reason for linking teacher development with institutional responsibility.
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Zheng, C. (2026) Beyond Compliance: Psychological Capital and the Internalization of Professional Ethics among University Teachers. Global Education Bulletin, 3(3), 87-93. https://doi.org/10.71052/grb2025/DXAR4227