Burnout Syndrome and Dark Triad at Schools: Engineers as Teachers of Vocational Technical Subjects

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to verify the relationship of three aversive personality traits - Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy, nowadays known by experts as the Dark Triad and burnout syndrome on the sample of vocational technical subject teachers. The study was carried out on a sample of 241 participants (Mage = 44.53; SD = 10.29). Females represented 75.1% of all respondents (Mage = 44.48; SD = 10.02), males represented the remaining 24.9% of respondents (Mage = 42.36; SD = 11.8). The Slovak version of Short Dark Triad - SD3 and the adapted Slovak version of Maslach Burnout Inventory - HSS on the sample of helping professionals were administered. Significant positive relations of the Dark Triad traits with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal satisfaction were identified. Regression analysis indicated the Dark Triad as a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, psychopathy was the most significant predictor. The Dark Triad concept predicted 58% of burnout syndrome’s variance.

Keywords

• burnout syndrome
• dark triad
• secondary school teachers
• vocational technical subjects