Abstract
M.Phil. (Industrial Psychology)
Burnout, which is a response to interpersonal and emotional job stress, continues to receive much research due to the various negative impacts s it can have on organisations and employees. It is known that burnout occurs in work settings where there are many demands and few resources. However, individual difference variables cannot be ignored in the development of burnout. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources model and positioning personality as a personal resource in the model this study set out to investigate if Core Self-Evaluative Traits moderate the challenge demand-burnout and hindrance demand-burnout relationship.
The Maslach Burnout inventory, Core Self-Evaluation Scale, Quantitative Workload Inventory, and e Role Conflict and Ambiguity Scale were administered to 129 working adults. The results showed that challenge demands, hindrance demands, and Core Self-Evaluative Traits had a positive relationship with burnout. Core Self-Evaluative Traits did not moderate the challenge demand-burnout relationship but it did moderate the hindrance demand-burnout relationship. Specifically, the results indicated that participants who scored lower on Core Self-Evaluative Traits had a stronger positive relationship between hindrance demands and the cynicism dimension of burnout than participants who scored higher on Core Self-Evaluative Traits. Overall, the results indicate that a potential interaction effect exists between hindrance demands and burnout when Core Self-Evaluative Traits s are used as personal resources in the Job Demands-Resources model. Recommendations and implications for theory and practice are presented.