EMOTIONAL BURNOUT IN PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY OF A LAWYER

Abstract

The article represents theoretical and empirical grounding of emotional burnout in professional activity of a lawyer. The main characteristics of emotional burnout of specialists who work in emotionally tense conditions have beene pointed out. The specificity of professional activity of a lawyer has been outlined and the impor­tance of fixation of emotional burnout during the professional realization has been emphasized. The purpose of represented research is theoretical grounding and empirical studying of the emotional burnout manifes­tation of a lawyer’s personality with different professional work experience. Among the research methods were used theoretical methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison, abstraction, systematization and generaliza­tion); empirical methods (conversation; testing using the method of studying the coping behavior strategies (R. Lazarus), the questionnaire "Burnout syndrome" (A. Rukavishnikov) and the organizational stress scale); and methods of mathematical statistics (average values analysis, correlation analysis). The results of realiza­tion of the program of empirical research reflects the specificity of the psychological content of the emotional burnout of lawyers with different professional work experience within the limits of their professional adapta­tion (work experience up to 5 years), professional integration (work experience from 5 to 10 years) profession­al stagnation (work experience more than 10 years). Psychological indicators of emotional burnout of lawyers are psycho-emotional exhaustion, personality estrangement and expressed professional motivation. Presented conclusions, that experience content of professional stress and the use of appropriate coping strategies are predictors of the emotional burnout of lawyers, which demonstrate the following psychological triads of man­ifestation in each of the examined subgroups: in the group of lawyers with the work experience up to 5 years the complex of "emotional activity" has been distinguished in the features of high self-control, effective and productive activity and expressed professional motivation; in the group of lawyers with the work experience from 5 to 10 years – the complex of “emotional immersion” has been recognized in the features of personality estrangement, expressed breadth of interests and ability to self-cognition; and in the group of lawyers with the work experience more than 10 years – the complex of “emotional support” has been defined in the features of psycho-emotional exhaustion, positive revaluation and acceptance of other people values.