Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 146 ( 2014 ) Olga Polyakova * nal model by

Transcription

1 Available online at ScienceDirect Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 146 ( 2014 ) Third Annual International Conference «Early Childhood Care and Education» The Structure of Professional Deformation Olga Polyakova * Russian Academy of Education, Department of Psychology and Physiology of age, Chief Specialist, Ph.D., Associate Professorr Pogodinskaya st. 8 Moscow Russia Abstract The author analyzes various theoretical approaches to the structure of professional deformation and illustrates the absence of unanimous understanding of the structure of professional deformation within Russian or any other school of psychological thought. Different approaches to categorization of professional deformation s structure are described, among which are: a four-layer model of E.F. Zeer; an eight-symptoms model by A.K. Markova; a one-dimensional model by A. Pines / E. Aronson and A. Shirom; a two-dimensional model by D.V. Dierendonck / W. Schaufeli / H.J. Sixma; various three-dimensional models by B. Perlman and E. Hartman; C. Maslach and S. Jackson; B.A. Farber, and a four-dimension nal model by G.N. Firth / A. Mims; and E.F. Iwanicki / R.L. Schwab Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. ( Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Russian Psychological Society. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Russian Psychological Society. Keywords: Burnout; Depersonalization; Professional deformation; Reduction of personal achievement; Emotional and/or physical exhaustion * Corresponding author. Tel.: address: pob-70@mail.ru Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Russian Psychological Society. doi: /j.sbspro

2 Olga Polyakova / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 146 ( 2014 ) Introduction There is no unanimous understanding of the structure of professional deformation within Russian or any other school of psychological thought. The category of professional deformation generally applies to situations where destructive changes of the existing structure of personality adversely affect execution of professional duties, productivity, efficiency of labor and interaction with co-workers. It is also used to describe destructive effects of practicing the same profession for a very long time, among which are lowered productivity, emergence of unwanted professional qualities, negative changes in professional conduct, mental structure, and personal traits. 2. Method The aim of the present study is to perform theoretical analysis of the literature on professional deformation, to synthesize and to generalize views of its structure found in the works of Russian and other psychologists. 3. Results and discussion Writing about the importance of the problem of professional deformation, E.F. Zeer noted: "Professional deformations are inevitable Every profession has its own set of difficulties" «Zeer [1] posited (45)». In his work Zeer identified four possible layers of professional deformation: 1) General professional deformation. Found in the majority of workers with substantial occupational experience. The degree of general professional deformation varies from person to person and from profession to profession dependent on the intensity of the working load. The examples of general professional deformation are impersonal disposition in doctors (emotional indifference to sufferings of patients), asocial perception in law enforcing officials (view of people as potential trouble makers), and power abuse in top rank officials (abuse of professional and ethical boundaries, inclination to control professional life of subordinates and dependent people). 2) Special professional deformation. This category includes gained qualities specific to certain professions. The examples of special professional deformation are: suspicious nature of investigators, aggressive behavior of criminal detectives, resourcefulness of lawyers, feelings of guilt in prosecutors, cynicism of surgeons, and indifference of nurses; 3) Typological professional deformation. Caused by superposition of individual psychological traits (temperament, ability, character) on the psychological structure of professional activity resulting in formation of various job-related insecurities. The examples of typological professional deformation are: deformation of professional orientation, distortion of incentives (making the aim a motive), reevaluation of personal values, pessimism, hostility towards newcomers and innovations, megalomania, inadequately high expectations, inflated self-esteem, psychological detachment, narcissism, dominance, indifference, and many other. 4) Individualized professional deformation. This category includes certain personal traits gained after many years of practicing the same profession that become part of one s character. Internalization of the required professional qualities common to certain line of work results in accentuations of the character, such as overly high sense of responsibility and honesty, workaholism, inadequately high professional enthusiasm, and other. "These deformations may be called a" professional cretinism" (E.F. Zeer) «Zeer [2] posited (205)». In her categorization of professional deformation A.K. Markova distinguished eight main symptoms of professional destruction:

3 422 Olga Polyakova / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 146 ( 2014 ) ) Disruption of professional development, manifested in unrealistic goals, distorted perceptions of the profession, professional conflicts, professional alienation. The conflict between rules of professional environment and the Self, where the established system of working relations clashes with personal values and aspirations, resulting in isolation, loneliness, rejection, or damages to the Self. 2) Development of negative qualities and deviation from social norms. One of the consequences inability to coordinate one s actions in accordance with common goals resulting in counterproductive group dynamics; 3) Low professional mobility - the inability to adapt to new psychological, physiological, and social working conditions. 4) Weakening or loss of professional knowledge, skills, perception; 5) Slowing down of the professional development due to aging. In the context of our study we are focusing on the acquired full, or partial non-compliance with professional and pertaining social standards pertaining to the process of aging a common subject of gerontopsychology; 6) Adverse effects of tension on one s personality, such as emotional exhaustion and burnout. 7) Occupational hazards, such as professional diseases or acquired disabilities, that can prevent further professional development. 8) Uneven pace of personality structures development. For example, when the propelling force of high professional growth motivation is hindered by inadequately developed professional skills [3]. In western psychology some authors view the burnout syndrome as a one-dimensional model. A. Pines and E. Aronson define burnout as state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by long exposure to emotionally overloaded situations [4], [5], [6]. A. Shirom notes that burnout is a combination of physical, emotional, and cognitive exhaustion or fatigue [7], [8], [9]. This view of burnout regards emotional exhaustion as the key factor that causes other manifestations, such as underestimation of personal accomplishments after subjective reassessment of own capabilities. This exhaustion deforms personality and affects social interactions. The twodimensional approach to burnout also includes the affective component. D.V. Dierendonck, W. Schaufeli, and H.J. Sixma define it as emotional exhaustion, manifested in physical well-being issues such as nervous tension. The second component in their two-dimensional model is depersonalization of people for whom professional services are rendered and co-workers [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]. It needs to be noted that depersonalization as an element of this and other professional deformation models should not be confused with the generally accepted definition of depersonalization in psychology (an anomaly of self-awareness) [15]. The most interesting for us to analyze was the three-dimensional approach, which includes three elements of professional deformation. The elements of the model by B. Perlman and E. Hartman are: 1) Emotional and/or physical exhaustion - emotional tension, a sense of emptiness (inability to work with former enthusiasm) 2) Depersonalization - lack of concern for, and even negative attitude towards people for whom professional services are rendered (clients, patients, etc.) and co-workers. Depersonalization manifests itself in impersonal, formalized contacts, negative attitudes, and signs of open or suppressed irritation, which eventually bursts out and leads to conflicts in the workplace. Depersonalization is prone to occur in closed working environments after long periods of work (up to six months). 3) Reduced labor productivity as a result of low self-esteem and view of one s competence, general negative perception of self, lack of professional fulfillment [16], [17]. It leads to psychological maladjustment - the inability to dynamically adjust to new demands of the profession.

4 Olga Polyakova / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 146 ( 2014 ) C. Maslach and S. Jackson s three-dimensional model of the mental burnout syndrome consists of the following elements: 1) Emotional exhaustion, manifested in weak emotional responses, indifference or emotional oversaturation. This element is viewed responsible for the diminishment of mental resources, reduction in the overall emotional tone due to poor mental resistance to damaging factors 2) Depersonalization, manifested in tense relations with other people. In some cases it takes form of increased dependence on others, and in others in habitual attitude of skepticism, cynical attitude towards patients, clients, employees, colleagues, etc. 3) Devaluation of personal accomplishments, manifested in a tendency to negative evaluate own self, professional achievements, to avoid and delegate responsibilities, and generally avoid growth opportunities. It results in an inclination towards known and well-studied pathways in activity, narrows field of perception reducing activities to responsive reactions, where cognitive activity resorts to operation with social stereotypes instead of active orientation within complex social phenomena. [10], [11], [18], [19], [20]. Another three-dimensional model of burnout, described in the works of B.A. Farber, consists of th following elements: 1) Psycho-emotional exhaustion - exhaustion of physical and emotional resources in professional activity, manifested in anger, anxious anticipation of the end of the working day, reluctance to go to work, low emotional tolerance, sensitive disposition to people s expectations, absenteeism, hostility and impersonal communication, depression, irritability, anxiety, chronic emotional and physical fatigue. 2) Personal alienation, a specific form of social and professional maladjustment manifested in indifference to own career, desire not to be involved, critical attitude towards others, hostility towards other people, unwillingness to communicate, lack of critical view of self, high irritability and intolerance in everyday situations, low involvement in social working environment, infrequent interaction with others, cynical perception of people. 3) Professional motivation. This component includes internal incentives to work and working enthusiasm. Assessment of professional motivation shows extents of professional productivity, optimism and investment in work, regard of own professional competences and the degree of success in working with people. Disruption of professional motivation manifests itself in low selfesteem, dissatisfaction with work, working relationships, own professional capabilities reduced desire for achievement, and a sense of professional inefficiency [21], [22], [23], [24]. There is also a four-dimensional model of professional deformation by G.N. Firth / A. Mims, and E.F. Iwanicki / R.L. Schwab in which authors discern such elements as emotional exhaustion, reduced personal achievement and depersonalization, but the latter is further divided into depersonalization of work (the profession itself), and depersonalization of people for whom professional services are rendered (clients, patients, etc.) [25], [26], [27], [28], [29]. 4. Conclusion As we have shown, there is no unanimous understanding of the structure of professional deformation within Russian or any other school of psychological thought. E.F. Zeer categorizes professional deformation based on four specific layers and A.K. Markova - on major symptoms. There are also four categorizations based on a

5 424 Olga Polyakova / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 146 ( 2014 ) number of elements constituting professional deformation: A. Pines and E. Aronson, A. Shirom propose there is one element (emotional exhaustion), D.V. Dierendonck, W. Schaufeli, H.J. Sixma - add depersonalization, considering it a two-dimensional model. The view of professional deformation as a three-dimensional model consisting of its own specific set of components is proposed in the works B. Perlman / E. Hartman, C. Maslach a/ S. Jackson, and B.A. Farber. The four-dimensional model of professional deformation is found in the works of G.N. Firth / A. Mims and E.F. Iwanicki / R.L. Schwab, where the authors distinguish between the depersonalization of profession itself, and the depersonalization of people for whom professional services are rendered [30], [31], [32], [33], [34]. References [1] Zeer EF. Psychology personality-oriented professional education. Yekaterinburg: USVPU; [2] Zeer EF. Psychology professions. Yekaterinburg: USVPU; [3] Markova AK. Psychology professionalism. Moscow: Knowledge; [4] Pines AM. Burnout: An existential perspective. In Schaufeli WB, Maslach C, Marek T, editors. Professional burnout: Recent developments in theory and research, /. Washington DC: Taylor & Francis; 1993, p [5] Pines AM. Couple burnout: Causes and cures. New York: Routledge; [6] Pines AM., Aronson E. Career burnout: Causes and cures. New York: The Free Press; [7] Shirom A. Burnout in work organizations. In Cooper CL, Robertson IT, editors. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology /. Vol. IV. New York: Wiley; 1989, p [8] Shirom A. Feeling vigorous at work? The construct of vigor and the study of positive affect in organizations. In Ganster D, Perrewe PL, editors. Research in organizational stress and well-being. Vol. 3. / Greenwich, CN: JAI Press; 2004, p [9] Shirom A. Reflections on the study of burnout. Work & Stress 2005; 19(3): [10] Vodopiyanova NE. Syndrome "emotional burnout" in the communication professions. In Nikiforov GS, editor. Health Psychology. St. Petersburg State University; 2000,. p [11] Vodopiyanova NE, Starchenkova ES. Burnout syndrome: diagnosis and prevention. St. Petersburg: Peter; [12] Dierendonck DV, Schaufeli WB, Buunk BP. Burnout and inequity among human service professionals: A longitudinal study. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 2001; 6(1): [13] Dierendonck DV, Schaufeli W, Sixma HJ. Burnout among general practitioners: a perspective from equity theory. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 1994; 13(1): [14] Schaufeli W.B. Measurement of burnout: A review. In Shaufely WB, Maslach C, Marek T, editors. Professional Burnout: Recent Developments in Theory and Research, Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis; 1993, p [15] Konyuhov NI. Dictionary of psychology. Moscow: Poligraphresursy; [16] Ilyin EP. Emotions and feelings. St. Petersburg: Peter; [17] Perlman, Hartman E. Burnout: summary and future research. Human relations 1982; 35(4): [18] Maslach C, Jackson S. MBI: Maslach Burnout Inventory; manual research edition. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press; 1986, p [19] Maslach C, Jackson S. MBI: Maslach Burnout Inventory; research edition. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press; 1981, p [20] Maslach C, Jackson S. The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior 1981; 2: [21] Definition of mental burnout (A.A. Rukavishnikov) // Fetiskin N.P., Kozlov V.V., Manuilov G.M. Sociopsychological diagnosis of the individual and small groups. - Moscow: Institute of Psychotherapy, p. - PP [22] Farber B.A. Introduction: A critical perspective on burnout // Stress and burnout in the human service professions / Farber, B. A. New York: Pergamon Press, P

6 Olga Polyakova / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 146 ( 2014 ) [23] Farber B.A. Tailoring treatment strategies for different types of burnout // Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. 106th, San Francisco California, August P ; PP [24] Farber B.A. Understanding and treating burnout in a changing culture. JCLP // Psychotherapy in Practice Vol. 56 (5). - PP [25] Frith G.H., Mims, A. Burnout among special education paraprofessionals // Teaching Exceptional Children Vol. 17 (3). PP [26] Iwanicki E.F. Toward understanding and alleviating teacher burnout // Theory Into Practice Vol. 22 (1). PP [27] Iwanicki E.F., Schwab, R.L. Across-validation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory // Educational and Psychological Measurement Vol. 41. PP [28] Schwab R.L., Iwanicki, E.F. Perceived role conflict, role ambiguity and teacher burnout // Educational Administration Quarterly Vol. 18. PP [29] Schwab R.L., Iwanicki, E.F. Who are our burned out teachers? // Educational Research Quarterly Vol. 7 (2). PP [30] Polyakova O.B. Professional strain identity: the concept, influencing factors, the effects of: ucheb. method. recommendations // Innovations in vocational schools: Supplement to the "Vocational Education. capital." p. [31] Polyakova O.B. Psychohygiene and prevention of occupational strain identity: ucheb. and practical. allowance. - Part I. - Professional strain identity. - Moscow: MSUTM, p. [32] Polyakova O.B. Psychohygiene and prevention of occupational strain identity: ucheb. and practical. allowance. - Part II. - Psychoprophylaxis professional deformation. - Moscow: MSUTM, p. [33] Polyakova O.B. Psychohygiene and prevention of occupational strain identity: The program and method. recommendations for the implementation of control work for the students specialty "Pedagogy" all forms of learning. - Moscow: MSUTM p. [34] Polyakova O.B. Psychohygiene and prevention of occupational strain of personality: the manual. - Moscow: NOU VPO Moscow Psychological and Social Institute, p.