Predicting Burnout, Conflict Management Style, and Turnover Among Clergy

Abstract

Typically, the literature on clergy burnout employs an individual model and describes the pastoral role from the perspective of multiple demands or offers prescriptions for recovery. Although some literature examines the systemic nature of clergy burnout, little attention is paid to the internal psychological dynamics surrounding social expectations of the clergy role. Bowen's concept of differentiation of self offers insight into the relationship between self and role within the context of the clergy-congregation emotional system. A sample of clergy ( N = 343) are surveyed to examine the impact of differentiation of self and role on burnout, conflict management style, and tenure. The analyses indicate clergy functioning at higher levels of differentiation of self and role experience lower perceived burnout and prefer a collaborative conflict management style. This perspective offers potential avenues of response for professionals who interact with clergy regarding burnout and conflict.

The Relationship of Clergy Burnout to Self-Compassion and Other Personality Dimensions

“…Age has been shown to be negatively correlated with burnout (Doolittle 2008;Stanton-Rich and IsoAhola 1998;Turton and Francis 2007;Francis et al 2008). Other negative correlates include extraversion (Miner 2007;Turton and Francis 2007;Francis et al 2008;Rogerson and Piedmont 1998;Hills et al 2004), higher levels of and higher satisfaction with activities outside of one's vocation such as leisure and exercise (Doolittle 2008;Stanton-Rich and Iso-Ahola 1998), positive attitude toward prayer (Turton and Francis 2007), higher differentiation of self from role and a collaborative conflict management style (Beebe 2007), seeking mentors (Doolittle 2008), more positive selfesteem as a child (Francis et al 2010), and congregation size . Positive correlates of burnout include neuroticism (Miner 2007;Turton and Francis 2007;Rogerson and Piedmont 1998;Francis and Rodger 1994;Francis et al 2004;Hills et al 2004), psychoticism (Francis and Rodger 1994;Francis et al 2004;Hills et al 2004), anxiety and depression (Doolittle 2008;Miner 2007), openness to change in beliefs (Miner 2007), dissatisfaction with spiritual life and difficult transitions to new church placements (Doolittle 2008), and hours worked .…”

“…When struggling with burnout, clergy report feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, and exhaustion (Stanton-Rich and Iso-Ahola 1998). Fifty percent of clergy have thought about leaving the ministry, and 70% report decreased self-esteem since beginning ministry (Beebe 2007). However, many clergy attempt to disguise these feelings and maintain a positive public persona, perhaps because they believe that God has called them to ministry and therefore they should be able to cope with stressors (Charlton et al 2008).…”

“…Many clergy report that their congregants have high expectations and show little appreciation (Francis et al 2010). It is therefore unsurprising that increasing numbers of clergy are leaving the ministry before retirement (Beebe 2007), contributing to a shortage of pastors. Overall, clergy burnout is a widespread experience that the church is interested in addressing to support and retain its leaders (Grosch and Olsen 2000).…”

Remembering to Ask the Boss: Priming and the Dynamics of Priest Reliance on Bishop Cues

“…Ideological [12,13], institutional [14], personal [15], and contextual factors [2,16] have played prominent roles in explaining the clergy politics puzzle. However, despite the rather apparent psychological dimension inherent in the clergy's professional responsibilities (given the demands and credentials required in their work [17]), scholars have been slow to add a psychological lens to assessments of clergy professional identity and its effects on political outcomes (although, see [18]). We contend that the psychology of professional identity is essential in modeling clergy behavior because one's professional sense of self motivates work-based behavior [19,20].…”

The Cost of Caring? Emotional Labour, Wellbeing and the Clergy

“…Moreover, a study conducted by Knox et al (2002) found significantly more depression and anxiety amongst clergy than the general population. Leaving intentions amongst clergy have been significantly associated with the stressors and strains of the job (Beebe 2007;Parker and Martin 2009). The findings of a survey of 1,339 British clergy reported that more than 50% of respondents had considered leaving the ministry due to the pressure of their work (Francis et al 2000).…”