Correlation between Self-Compassion and Burnout among Social Workers

Abstract

The issue of burnout among active social workers poses a great strain on the field of social work as a whole. Burnout can interfere with one's ability to be effective in his or her line of work. Maslash's research on burnout has brought great attention to the three elements that comprise burnout as a whole among working professionals. The three components leading to burnout in an individual include exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness which evolve and expand within an individual until bumout prevails as a whole within the individual (Maslach & Leiter, 1997). The severity of burnout and the risks it poses to the profession of social work require attention. This study seeks to assess if a relationship of burnout exists with a concept known as self-compassion. Research by Dr. Kristen Neff has led to the development an assessment tool to measure self-compassion within an individual. A person who measures as having high self-compassion has a greater sense of the self and an ability to view the world in a more positive manner. The elements of self compassion include mindfulness, self-kindness, and common humanity. Two measurement tools exist to measure both self-compassion and burnout. This study seeks to discover if a relevant cmTelation between self-compassion and burnout levels exist within actively working social workers in the field.