The relationship between emotional intelligence and burnout amongst social workers in the north and south regions of the Western Cape

Abstract

The social work profession is strongly client based with workers being involved in complex social situations (Lloyd, King & Chenoweth, 2002). Social workers judgement and decision making are influenced by their emotions and the emotional context of the situation. Thus emotional intelligence is a core skill for every social worker. Morrison (2007) purported that in order to be a good practitioner one had to be able to comprehend and mange one‟s emotions and be completely aware of the power of these emotions. Social work thus requires emotional involvement and it is therefore not uncommon for social workers to be emotionally drained and frustrated, which inevitably can lead to burnout (Lukelelo, 2004). According to Howe (2008), on a daily basis social workers face the complex world of human behaviour within the social context. Within this world relationships are broken, emotions run high and personal needs may not be met. However, Kinman and Grant (2010) postulated if social workers possessed the correct emotional and social competencies it would assist them in coping with the stressors of the profession and could reduce psychological distress and enhance well-being.