Personality Parameters as Predictors of the Burnout Syndrome Development in School Teachers

Abstract

The article features the professional burnout syndrome in teachers. Teaching is one of the most stressful social activities. The authors pointed out personal traits that may determine the development of the professional burnout syndrome in school teachers. They identified, justified, and experimentally verified the relationship between burnout and personality parameters. Together with age, work experience, marital and parental status, these personal traits can serve as burnout predictors. The article gives a general description of the emotional burnout phenomenon in teachers, which includes negative psychological experiences caused by the regular high emotional content or cognitive complexity. The paper also introduces factors of development of emotional burnout. The authors identified the burnout predictors based on the results of an empirical study. They determined strong empathy and internality as provoking factors that triggered emotional stress. As a rule, the stress was associated with teacher's attitude to his or her role in interpersonal relationships. The authors proposed some methods for the prevention of burnout syndrome in teachers.