EMPATHY IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH

Abstract

The rise of bullying incidences in educational institutions in Malaysia is a major concern that triggers the effort to review the roles of academics as ‘human service workers’ who interact with students in instilling moral values. However, this responsibility could lead to the phenomenon of burnout among academics. A literature review on the concept of ‘burnout’ indicates that it is caused by two factors – environment at workplace and the nature of work engaged by the workers. The nature of work of academics that involves ‘compassionate communication’ or ‘empathy’ towards students could lead to burnout among academics. This process of communication is further explained by understanding the concept of ‘empathy’ and how it functions in causing burnout. Besides that, environmental factors at work place such as workload, role conflict and role ambiguity are also the major factors that could lead to burnout among academics. Other factors such as bureaucratic red tape, lack of respect towards employees, favoritism and insincere strategies by the employers could affect employees’ trust and motivation towards the organization. A review of previous studies on the phenomenon of burnout among academics in private and public universities revealed that besides the pressure of heavy teaching work load and unfavorable working environment; academics also face the pressure of career development which is based on their contribution from research and international recognitions. Hence, all these factors could lead to burnout among academics which will consequently hinder the efforts to instill moral values among students.