Toxic Positivity and the Workplace Family: Understanding Small Business Culture Through Social Identity Theory
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Companies sometimes present themselves to employees as a “workplace family” to gain buy-in and foster a sense of belonging. Workplaces that do this, however, can often have some toxic components. This theoretical paper reviews the concept of “workplace families” as a way to strategically and internally brand the company to its employees, fostering a culture that could lead to toxic positivity. This could lead to potential detrimental side effects for the employees and the company as a whole. This paper uses social identity theory as a lens to review an internal branding and toxic positivity model, potentially exploring some of the impacts it may have in small or medium-sized businesses. The idea is to steer companies away from creating a “workplace family” and to create a true environment that focuses on respect and success.
DOI: 10.53703/001c.157797
Author: Alli Forrester
Institution: Midwestern State University
Language: English
Subfield: Human Factors and Ergonomics
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7146995378