A Dual-Pathway Model of Self-compassion at Work: Resilience as a Buffer against Burnout and Emotion Regulation as a Pathway to Productivity

Description

Marisha Rathore and Kalpana Randhawa (Department of Psychology, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, Rajasthan)

Although the literature usually presents productivity and employee well-being as lying on the same continuum, it is possible for employees to feel well psychologically even when they are working below their capabilities or to be productive even when they are emotionally exhausted. This comprehensive review introduces a dual-pathway model which explains how self-compassion can lead to both long-term well-being and effective work performance. The first route is that self-compassion can promote resilience and decrease the chance of burnout by conserving and restoring psychological resources. A second theory holds that self-compassion encourages cognitive reappraisal, enabling employees to deal with criticism, setbacks, and uncertainty in a more realistic and balanced way, thus improving their focus, the quality of their decisions, persistence, and long-term productivity. Expressive suppression is now seen as a context-dependent route to risk, rather than as an inherently maladaptive approach; it is pointed out that ongoing suppression can deplete resources, hide stress, impair interpersonal coordination and cause emotional fatigue, but short-term and intentional restraint can be of professional value, particularly in hierarchical or service-oriented environments. The model combines the process model of emotion regulation, the Job Demands-Resources model, the Conservation of Resources theory and the self-compassion theory. Particular attention is paid to Indian workplaces, in which strict rules about the display of emotions, a hierarchical structure and obligations towards relationships may all coexist with worldwide performance standards.