The correlation between existential fulfillment and emotional burnout: a theoretical and empirical review.

Dubinina Sofiya Igorevna ORCID: 0009-0001-8086-3492 Lecturer; Faculty of Management and Psychology; Kuban State University 8, Memory of Chernobyl str., Krasnodar Territory, 350078, Russia sophie.mercurius@gmail.com

Introduction. The relevance of the work is due to the comprehensive interest in the conditions of various exhaustion of modern man. With the acceleration of scientific and technological development, the availability of not only various resources, but also ways of interacting with the world increases, thereby creating great uncertainty of the future, which is one of the main stressors for humanity. The unstable state outside in the world, the conditions of various crises, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, all this forms the dynamics of anxiety and anxiety inside the human mental world. Therefore, it is extremely important to consider approaches to various concepts of depletion and develop them.

The group at increased risk of emotional burnout includes representatives of the "human-to-human" professions, which includes representatives of the legal profession. This professional group forms an important core for the functioning of our society, the problem of burnout and existential fulfillment is subject to careful study for the possibility of developing further preventive and preventive measures. It is necessary to identify whether the existential components are related to the burnout syndrome.

The object of our research is mental burnout and existential fulfillment.

The subject of the study is the relationship between emotional burnout and existential fulfillment among representatives of the legal profession.

The aim of the study is to describe and determine the empirical relationship between the aspects of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment among representatives of the legal profession.

Research objectives:

1. To study and analyze approaches to the concepts of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment.

2. To conduct an empirical study in order to establish the relationship between emotional burnout and existential fulfillment among representatives of the legal profession.

Research methodology: activity-based and existential-analytical approaches were used. The methods of systematic data analysis, generalization, comparison and the hypothetical-deductive method were used. The empirical sample consisted of 69 specialists working in the legal profession with work experience of 1 year or more. The following research methods were used: A questionnaire to determine the level of mental burnout (MBI) by K. Maslach, S. Jackson (adapted by N. E. Vodopyanova), the test "Scale of Existence" (ESK) by A. Lengle and K. Orgler (adapted by I. N. Mainina and A. Y. Vasanov)

The scientific novelty of the study consists in the development of the topic of the relationship between emotional burnout and existential fulfillment. Existential fulfillment, as a construct, has not been thoroughly studied in connection with the topic of emotional burnout in various professional groups. This work allows us to expand theoretical and practical knowledge about the studied phenomena in terms of manifestation in a professional group of lawyers.

Review and analysis of the topic under study.

Emotional burnout is inextricably linked with the activity that a person is engaged in, since he can "burn out" as a result of the realization of his daily activity. N. E. Vodopyanova considers professional burnout as a systemic quality of the subject of professional activity, formed as a result of a violation of optimal functioning in the system "subject - profession - organization - society" ^{[5, p. 5 The theory of activity is consistent with this position in terms of the influence of professional activity on the inner world of a person, in live interaction with the situation. [2]}

Therefore, emotional burnout is a complex of emotional, cognitive and physical exhaustion of the body, to which all people are exposed, and representatives of professions such as "man-man" are at particular risk. V.E. Orel describes burnout from a medical point of view as a state of complete exhaustion, which is a combination of symptoms (psychopathological, psychosomatic and somatic) and signs of social dysfunction. ^[10]. There are studies where it turns out that professions related to mental health, including social workers and psychologists, are at greater risk of emotional burnout. According to estimates, the prevalence of the syndrome reaches 67% among people working in this field ^[18]. At the moment, there are several approaches to explaining this phenomenon: systemic, individual, organizational, and interpersonal.

The main models for considering the phenomenon of emotional burnout are substantive and procedural. A meaningful model characterizes burnout from the perspective of a set of symptoms and signs. Burnout is understood as a state of exhaustion with a certain set of distinctive characteristics. Procedural models consider burnout as a dynamic process, through a sequence of different stages and stages ^[9]. An example of a procedural model would be the allocation of phases of emotional burnout with a description of the symptoms:

1. Stress phase: frequent headaches, recurring symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections, concomitant feeling of irritation;

2. the phase of resistance, characterized by the duration of symptoms, explosions of irritation, contempt, deterioration in the quality of work;

3. The exhaustion phase indicates chronic conditions ^[1].

S. Hobfall's position from the point of view of the resource approach is not a classic view of the problem of burnout. According to this model, burnout is a process of waste, loss and depletion of resources. The main idea of the theory is expressed in the fact that a person strives to get what is valuable to him. Therefore, a working person concentrates on how to obtain resources that he does not have, protect those that he already possesses, and reproduce those that have been lost. Thus, efforts are aimed at protecting reserves (resources) ^[19].

Also, the question of whether burnout is a purely subjective cause of a particular person, or depends on the entire organization or company, has not been resolved. It is assumed that a comprehensive assessment of this phenomenon will help to solve the problem of employee burnout more effectively. After analyzing the description of the syndrome and the factors that affect it, the researchers have compiled the following classification. All factors can be divided into two large groups:

1. External: working conditions; deadlines and distractions; conflicts at work.

2. Internal: hyperresponsibility; influence of authority; beliefs; obligations; feeling (super-value of work) ^[3].

One of the popular concepts of burnout was proposed by K. Maslach, which formed the basis for compiling a questionnaire to determine the level of mental burnout (MBI) by K. Maslach and S. Jackson (adapted by N. E. Vodopyanova). The method allows us to identify the overall level of emotional burnout based on three factors (symptoms): emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduction of professional achievements. The questionnaire was developed mainly for professions of a socionic orientation such as "man-man" ^[5].

The first factor is emotional exhaustion, it is the basis for the diagnosis of burnout and manifests itself in a decrease in emotional tone, a decrease in the affective component in work enthusiasm, loss of interest and positive feelings, etc.

The second factor is depersonalization, which manifests itself in emotional coldness towards work and other people through indifference, negativism and cynicism.

The third factor, the reduction of professional achievements, is associated with dissatisfaction with one's place on the professional ladder. Lack of prospects, low assessment of one's competence as a professional, decreased motivation leads to dismissal from work and unwillingness to continue doing it ^[5].

This technique has demonstrated its effectiveness, there are various variations of questionnaires for different professional groups. A study was conducted during the pandemic, where it was found that among anesthesiologists in Poland, burnout was detected by 73% of doctors ^[25]. Therefore, modern research once again confirms the importance and relevance of further study of this phenomenon. When studying the phenomenon, emphasis is placed on the peculiarities of its manifestations in various professional and social groups. In the book "Burnout", E. Nagoski speaks about the burnout of women as a mass phenomenon of our time, where one of the reasons for this phenomenon is called the attitude towards "donation" on the part of women. It implies an attitude rooted in culture and individual consciousness that a woman should fully devote herself to caring for others ^[9]. From this point of view, burnout is most influenced by an internal factor from a combination of attitudes, obligations and hyper-responsibility. E. Nagoski's ideas about the difference in the manifestations of burnout among women are confirmed by a study by C. Giess, which indicated that women are more likely to report emotional exhaustion, and men are more likely to report depersonalization ^[1].

The phenomenon of existential fulfillment is closely related to the problem of emotional burnout. This construct comes from the psychology of an existentially positive orientation. The creator of existential philosophy, on the basis of which psychology of a similar orientation developed, S. Kierkegaard formulated an attitude towards subjective and authentic human life, individual experiences and reflection. He formulated a focus on gaining existence through negative experiences of suffering. It is the fear of death, its experience, that gives real freedom, since a person is bound by boundaries, and existence (inner life, his true existence) belongs to him alone. Existence comes from a constant attitude towards oneself and something else, choosing one's position and behavior ^[16]. Consequently, existential philosophy implies the constant involvement and activity of the subject as the creator of his subjective being. These judgments formed the basis of existential psychology and psychotherapy.

The very concept of "existential fulfillment" was first mentioned in the works of Viktor Frankl, the creator of a separate psychotherapeutic field – logotherapy. In the understanding of V. Frankl, logotherapy is precisely a therapy of meaning, therefore the logos is interpreted in the meaning of a wash and a certain inner potency, vital for all people. We find it interesting that logotherapy can also be translated as word therapy, which reflects the general psychotherapeutic and psychological practice.

So, since this direction is based on an understanding of the meaning of life, let's look deeper into what is meant by this. V. Frankl himself speaks of an objective meaning, or rather a transubjective one, which a person can discover rather than construct for himself, this is exactly the meaning that will support a person. According to V. Frankl, a person strives for meaning, this determines his essence. The desire for pleasure or power, as in other psychological concepts, is the result of the suppression of the desire for meaning ^[12]. V. Frankl wrote: "Meaning is what is meant by a person or a situation. The unique meaning of today is the universal value of tomorrow" ^[14]. Of course, this direction is existential and analytical, and modern followers have improved the existential analysis of V. Frankl, giving it a more personal and practice-oriented orientation.

The main practical contribution was made by psychologists A. Lengle and K. Orgler, who created a methodology – the "Scale of Existence", which allows us to study the existential fulfillment of a personality. The methodology reveals not only the general level of existential fulfillment, but also indicators are formed for four subscales: self-isolation, self-transcendence, freedom and responsibility. The peculiarity of the technique is that, on the one hand, it evaluates the existence of a person (fullness of meaning), and on the other hand, it shows a level where a low indicator in existential analysis and logotherapy will be equated with frustration of meaning ^[6].

An important position in V. Frankl's concept was an approach to psychological problems from the point of view of noogenic neuroses associated with loss, frustration of the meaning of life. In his opinion, a person is driven by the "will to make sense", but if it is impossible to discover meaning for oneself or does not rely on the true meaning, there comes a loss of focus on it and an existential vacuum sets in, as a feeling of gaping inner emptiness and meaninglessness. A person ceases to understand "Why?" and loses the ability to see the field of life possibilities ^[13].

Alfred Lengle continued the work of V. Frankl, developed and improved his ideas. He began to reveal in more detail the desire for meaning as a motivational tendency of a person. In this vein, he expanded the concept of the opposite of an existential vacuum – existential fulfillment. Existential analysis by "existence" means not just the existence of a person, but precisely the field of possibilities that his being reveals to a person, this is the challenge and opportunity of every life situation ^[7]. V. Frankl understood by semantic or existential fulfillment – the realization by a person of the meaning of life, the orientation of a person not only towards himself (into himself), but also to the world ^[11]. Since the experience of existential fulfillment is subjectively based on a person's attitude to the world, to others and to himself, it intersects in semantic content with satisfaction (with oneself, others, life), with happiness, with being, with self-actualization, etc. Fulfillment is an experience of deep inner agreement with what has been done, or with by what takes place; the experience of matching it to one's circumstances and one's essence ^[4].

Thus, existential fulfillment reflects a person's subjective assessment of his past, his position in the present and his possibilities in the future, based on established relationships with himself, others and the world.

A. Lengle understood by existential fulfillment the existence and realization of four fundamental motivations:

1) the experience of existence, the world in its potentiality, or the desire to be in the world;

2) striving for satisfaction with life so that you like it;

3) striving to be yourself, genuine individuality and self-acceptance;

4) striving for the future and meaning ^[15].

For existential fulfillment, it is necessary to have all four motivations in one way or another, and there must be a dialogical exchange between these four dimensions. Based on this, a person forms his personal idea of reality. Motivations are called fundamental, since they ask a person a question and require his answer, there is a kind of dialogical exchange based on his consent and responsibility, activating his inner freedom. That is, these motivations fundamentally activate and drive our existence ^[21].

The questions that A. Lengle forms sound similar in spirit to the Russian mentality. He defines fulfillment through the search for answers to such questions of the world and man to himself as: "Am I capable of taking my place in the world? Do I have the right to be myself in the living conditions I find myself in? Is there enough freedom, space, and security for existence?"^[21].

In turn, a person's inability to answer questions about fundamental motivations leads to anxiety, anxiety, insecurity and fear. It turns out that at one pole of our being there is an existential vacuum with a sense of fear and distrust of the world, and at the other there is an existential fulfillment with a sense of freedom, an experience of one's authenticity and responsibility for one's life.

In this context, it is logical to assume that the exhaustion of meaning, as the presence of frustration and a low level of existential fulfillment, can be accompanied not only by emotional negative states and experiences that we discussed above (anxiety, fear, distress), which have a negative impact on mental health, but also negative consequences for the physical condition too. There are studies that confirm the relationship of a low level of existential fulfillment with emotional exhaustion in the sense of physical negative consequences for a person. Studies have been conducted on the relationship between emotional exhaustion and existential fulfillment among teachers, where significant correlations have been identified. The results showed that existential self-realization, self-isolation, self-transcendence, freedom and responsibility are significantly negatively associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and positively associated with the reduction of professional achievements ^[26]. Another study among consultants at Kenyan universities noted that significant correlations between burnout and existential fulfillment were also found ^[20].

A recent study found that high levels of existential frustration are associated with higher levels of depression and negative affect, and lower levels of life satisfaction. This confirmed the hypothesis of the study that a more complete sense of meaning and existential well-being are important for mental health ^[28].

Let's define that emotional burnout is understood as a complex of emotional, cognitive and physical exhaustion of the body associated with the performance of their professional duties. Existential fulfillment is characterized by a person's realization of the meaning of life, it is an experience based on a person's subjective assessment of his past, his position in the present and his possibilities in the future.

Thus, the above provides sufficient theoretical and empirical evidence to suggest that the phenomena of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment are interrelated. We believe that existential fulfillment can have a preventive effect in preventing emotional burnout.

We believe that emotional burnout and existential fulfillment are interconnected with each other and complement each other as phenomena of the same field describing physical, emotional, cognitive, mental and existential exhaustion. The discovery of true meaning and the realization of four fundamental motivations can have a preventive effect on the development of emotional burnout.

The results of empirical research and conclusions.

A hypothesis was put forward about the relationship between existential burnout and existential fulfillment among specialists working in the legal profession. The average work experience in the sample is 5 years. Existing research shows that burnout syndrome is increasingly becoming pronounced with little work experience. Thus, E. I. Yaroshenko established a high level of emotional burnout in a subgroup of employees of the penitentiary system with work experience from 3 to 6 years ^{[17, p. 27]}.

The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistica 27.0. and MS Excel. The relationships were evaluated using Spearman's nonparametric correlation analysis.

The questionnaire for determining the level of mental burnout (MBI) by K. Maslach and S. Jackson (adapted by N.E. Vodopyanova) allows us to identify the overall level of emotional burnout and indicators for three subscales: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduction of professional achievements ^[5].

The method "Scale of Existence" (ESK) by A.Lengle and K. Orgler identifies indicators for six subscales: self-isolation (SD), self-transcendence (ST), freedom (F), responsibility (V), personality (P), existentiality (E) ^[6].

At the first stage, descriptive statistics were analyzed to identify the level of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment, the data are presented in Table No. 1. The absence of a pronounced burnout syndrome in respondents was revealed and an average level of existential fulfillment was established.

Table 1 – Results of descriptive statistics of the study sample (N= 69) according to questionnaires: determination of the level of mental burnout by K. Maslach and S. Jackson (adapted by N. E. Vodopyanova), "Scale of Existence" (ESK) by A. Lengle and K. Orgler (adapted by I. N. Mainina and A. Y. Vasanov)

Emotional burnout falls into low values, but the level tends to be average. This parameter is key for determining the entire syndrome. Depersonalization and reduction of professional achievements among respondents falls into the zone of average manifestation of symptoms.

Indicators of existential fulfillment for all subscales are at an average level. The presence of an upper threshold (10) in the maximum values may indicate social desirability or overestimated self-esteem.

At the second stage, a correlation analysis was carried out between the parameters of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment, the data are presented in Table No. 2.

Table 2 – Correlations between the parameters of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment in the study sample (N= 69) according to the MBI questionnaire K. Maslach and S. Jackson (adapted by N. E. Vodopyanova) and ESK by A. Lengle and K. Orgler (adapted by I. N. Mainina and A. Y. Vasanov).

_{Note: significance level: "*" – 0,05, "**" – 0,01.}

The results indicate that there are positive and negative correlations between the parameters of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment in the respondents. Indicators of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization negatively correlate with all indicators of existential fulfillment. The reduction of professional achievements positively correlates with all indicators of existential fulfillment, except self-transcendence (ST) and personality (P). And the overall burnout syndrome index is also negatively correlated with existential fulfillment (G).

These correlations are explained by the fact that in all parameters of emotional burnout, except for the reduction of professional achievements, a high level of evidence indicates the presence of negative symptoms according to the burnout index. At the same time, high data on the method of existential fulfillment indicate the absence of existential burnout. Therefore, in the presence of exhaustion at the emotional and existential level, there should be high rates of emotional burnout and low rates of existential fulfillment. This is also explained from the point of view of the reduction of professional achievements, since only this parameter in the methodology is reversed and with its high indicators there is no negative reduction, therefore its dependence on indicators of existential fulfillment is positive.

Reliable relationships are present in the indicator of emotional exhaustion with all the parameters of existential fulfillment, and since this is the main criterion for determining the level of emotional burnout, the burnout index also has reliable relationships with existential fulfillment.

In addition, reliable correlations are observed between the depersonalization index and the following indicators: self-transcendence (ST), personality (P), existentiality (E) and fulfillment (G). Depersonalization is associated with psychological and physical withdrawal from work, loss of positive values and the predominance of cynical, negative attitudes towards other people. Whereas self-transcendence implies the ability to feel and find positive values in the entire field of possibilities, and personality (the factor of personality and individuality) and existentiality (the factor of existence, the ability to navigate the world and contact it) produce the fulfillment parameter as a subjectively experienced measure of fullness of meaning in one's life.

So, the hypothesis of the relationship between emotional burnout and existential fulfillment among legal specialists has been mathematically confirmed. We can characterize the sample as sufficiently existentially filled and effectively realizing itself in professional activity.

The correlation indicators for the two methods are confirmed by other studies. Thus, the results of a study conducted on female doctors from Austria showed that the parameters of existential fulfillment are significantly negatively associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and positively associated with a decrease in personal self-realization ^[26]. The results of another study also showed a significant relationship between the subscales of existential fulfillment and emotional burnout among teachers ^[24] and among principals of educational institutions in whom self-transcendence was negatively associated with depersonalization ^[27].

Conclusion.

Theoretical and empirical analysis has shown that it is possible to talk about the relationship between the phenomena of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment, which is confirmed by various studies. Burnout as an emotional exhaustion correlates with the negative pole of existential fulfillment – existential exhaustion. High fullness of meaning and the realization of fundamental motivations will be able to have a positive, preventive effect in the early phases of burnout, preventing the further development of the syndrome.

Based on the results of an empirical study, we draw the following conclusions:

1. The hypothesis of the relationship between the phenomena of emotional burnout and existential fulfillment in a sample of legal specialists has been confirmed. The main indicators of burnout syndrome have an inverse relationship with indicators of existential fulfillment, that is, with a high level of burnout, there may be a low level of existential fulfillment and vice versa. Significant correlations have been revealed between indicators of emotional exhaustion with all parameters of existential fulfillment, as well as between indicators of depersonalization and self-transcendence (ST), personality (P), existentiality (E) and fulfillment (G). Only the indicators of reduction of professional achievement revealed a direct relationship with existential fulfillment (G).

2. The low index of general burnout syndrome is consistent with the average indicators of existential fulfillment, so it can be assumed that respondents, due to a good level of fullness of meaning, are able to actualize themselves in work using internal motivation, drive. The above conclusions are confirmed by A. Langle's opinion that existential fulfillment is associated with a lack of genuine meaning in the activity performed, which leads to burnout. Whereas a sense of fulfillment can be present even against the background of physical fatigue. And a great lack of fulfillment can lead to an existential vacuum ^[23].

3. The concept of existential fulfillment enriches the concept of burnout from the perspective of opportunities for preventive and therapeutic work, since with different indicators for subscales, the psychologist will be able to see which fundamental motivation is insufficient, therefore he will be able to build an adequate and effective plan for psychological counseling or group work. These provisions will be useful for psychologists of different profiles, especially those working with representatives of legal specialization.

4. The limitations of the study were the chosen methodological apparatus and the sample, since the interrelationships of phenomena among representatives of the same professional sphere are being studied. You see further development prospects in comparing the relationship between emotional burnout and existential fulfillment among other professional and social groups.