The Social-structural Framework of Burnout in the American Education System

• In Event: 123 - Section on Social Psychology Refereed Roundtable Session (co-sponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions and Section on Sociology of Mental Health).
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 03. Emotions/Emotion Management

Abstract

Emotion work, or the shaping of both felt and portrayed emotions, has become a necessary asset for the contemporary American service industry and thus a requirement for many service employees, such as those who work in education. Teaching entails what sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild calls “deep acting,” where workers modify their felt emotions to match the portrayed emotions required for their jobs. This emotion work is vital to empathizing with students from various backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. However, on a societal level, the depth of emotion work in education can lead to widespread burnout and emotional fatigue, issues that often mirror depression. The current prevalent treatments for depressive symptoms tend to involve cost-efficient antidepressant medications, though there is debate over the feasibility of more expensive coping mechanisms such as counseling. Using theories from the sociology of emotions and social psychology, this project is an attempt to understand the pervasiveness of emotional fatigue, its effects, and potential solutions that men and women in the field of education can take to promote mental and emotional wellbeing. To do this, I will discuss current forms of emotion work that are employed by these teachers and the range of physical, emotional, and mental effects that these requirements place upon individuals, as well as the potential coping mechanisms and structural changes that can be employed to reduce burnout.

Author

• Grayson Alexander Bodenheimer, Appalachian State University