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The Relationship Between Personality,Burnout, and Engagement Among theIndian ClergyEugene Newman Joseph a , Patrick Luyten a , Jozef Corveleyn a &Hans De Witte aa Department of Psychology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven,Belgium
Available online: 11 Oct 2011
To cite this article: Eugene Newman Joseph, Patrick Luyten, Jozef Corveleyn & Hans De Witte(2011): The Relationship Between Personality, Burnout, and Engagement Among the Indian Clergy,International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 21:4, 276-288
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The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 21:276–288, 2011
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1050-8619 print/1532-7582 online
DOI: 10.1080/10508619.2011.607412
RESEARCH
The Relationship Between Personality, Burnout,and Engagement Among the Indian Clergy
Eugene Newman Joseph, Patrick Luyten, Jozef Corveleyn, andHans De Witte
Department of Psychology
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Leuven, Belgium
This study examined the relationship between the Big Five personality dimensions, burnout, and
engagement among 511 Indian Catholic diocesan priests. We expected that Neuroticism would
be positively associated with burnout and negatively associated with engagement. Moreover, we
expected Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness to be negatively associated
with burnout and positively associated with engagement. Hierarchical regression analyses largely
confirmed these expectations. Results are discussed in the context of the broader literature on
burnout and engagement, as well as the literature on priesthood.
INTRODUCTION
Priestly ministry is a challenging vocation. Several studies suggest that levels of burnout among
priests are relatively high (Evers & Tomic, 2003; Louden & Francis, 2003; Miner, 2007;
Randall, 2007). At the same time, however, many priests seem to thrive in their vocation. It is
not surprising that research on burnout and engagement has exclusively focused on work-related
characteristics, because it is defined as a work-related state of mind (Maslach, Schaufeli, &
Leiter, 2001; Schaufeli & Buunk, 2003). However, one of the intriguing questions that remains
unanswered is why some individuals report high levels of burnout or engagement, whereas
others working in the same environment do not. Does personality or individual differences
Correspondence should be sent to Eugene Newman Joseph, Department of Psychology, Katholieke Universiteit
Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. E-mail: uginjoe@hotmail.com
276
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RELATIONSHIP AMONG INDIAN CLERGY 277
have something to do with the way individuals confront work? Besides situational factors, there
is an increasing interest in the role of personality traits in the prediction of burnout (Bakker,
Van Der Zee, Lewig, & Dollard, 2006) and engagement (Langelaan, Bakker, Schaufeli, Van
Rhenen, & Van Doornen, 2006). The population of Catholic clergy offers a unique perspective
on the burnout and engagement phenomena, as they are clearly involved with ministering to
the people, working not only for them but also with them. The mission of a priest is idealistic,
for it fosters the spiritual; emotional; and, in a poor country like India, even the social and
material well-being and growth of individuals and communities that have varied demands. The
ironic reality is that when confronted with the same type of work, place, and situation, some
priests are burned out, whereas some thrive. Congruent with the interest evinced in the study
of personality in relation to burnout and engagement (Bakker et al., 2006; Francis, Louden,
& Rutledge, 2004; Langelaan et al., 2006; Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998), the present study
based on empirical research attempts to answer this question by arguing that personal traits
could have a significant role in the prediction of burnout and engagement in an Indian Catholic
sample of (male) clergy.
Burnout and Engagement
Burnout can be described as “a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and
reduced personal accomplishment that can occur among individuals, who do people work
of some kind” (Maslach, 1982, p. 3). Since the beginning of the 21st century, following
the general trend in psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), scholars have become
increasingly interested in the opposite phenomenon, that is, engagement. Engagement is “a
positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and
absorption” (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Roma, & Bakker, 2002, p. 74). In line with these
definitions, clergy burnout can be seen as a feeling of being devoured from within, feeling
emotionally exhausted and ministering from a posture of nothing left to give (Maslach &
Jackson, 1986), that is, a decline in the ability to experience joy or to feel and care for others
(Freudenberger & Richelson, 1980). It is a sense wherein the priest feels he is giving a great
deal of energy and compassion to others over time yet is not able to get enough back to reassure
himself that he is accomplishing something worthwhile (Maslach, 1993). On the other hand,
clergy engagement is likely to be associated with a willingness to offer oneself wholeheartedly
and to invest effort in one’s ministry even in the midst of difficulties and trying situations,
leading to a sense of fulfilment (Schaufeli et al., 2002). Over the past 60-odd years, empirical
and anecdotal research that have focused widely on the mental health and well-being of priests
have acknowledged that ministering to the people is an extremely demanding task (Brouwer,
1995; Dittes, 1970; Fichter, 1965; Sanford, 1982) and have explored the negative outcomes of
priestly life and ministry. This study for the first time has employed a positive approach of
not only viewing the negative aspects of ministry but also examining the positive outcomes of
priestly life and ministry.
Personality
As noted, most of the studies on clergy burnout have limited the study of personal factors
to demographic variables (Chiaramonte, 1983; Evers & Tomic, 2003; Francis, Louden, &
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278 JOSEPH ET AL.
Rutledge, 2004; Louden & Francis, 2003; Raj & Dean, 2005; Sanford, 1982), rather than
broader personality variables, such as the Big Five personality factors. Some studies, for
instance, regarding burnout and engagement have focused on one or two (Francis et al., 2004;
Langelaan et al., 2006) of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality dimensions. The few
studies on personality traits and burnout among clergy in Australia, England and Wales, and
United States (Francis et al., 2004; Miner, 2007; Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998) have reported
a significant association between personality traits and burnout.
The present study aims at extending these studies by focusing on all of the FFM personality
factors simultaneously, to analyze to what extent individual differences could make a difference
in the prediction of both burnout and engagement in Indian Catholic Diocesan Priests. Based
on the literature of the FFM; previous research; and taking into account the nature of priestly
ministry in India, which is characterized by high and continuous pressures on priests to provide
not only spiritual but also emotional and even material needs (Manalel, 2006), the following
predictions were made.
First, as Neuroticism is characterized by a tendency to be emotionally unstable, fearful, and
irritable (Costa & McRae, 1980), previous research has found Neuroticism to be consistently
related to burnout (Bakker et al., 2006; Cano-García, Padilla-Munoz, & Carrasco-Ortiz, 2005;
Zellars, Perrewe, & Hochwarter, 2000) and engagement (Langelaan et al., 2006) in general. At
least two studies among clergy have reported that Neuroticism is positively related to burnout
among clergy (Francis et al., 2004; Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998). Ministry in the church
means service. In line with the teachings of Christ, who said, “I have not come to be served,
but to serve and give my life as a ransom for others” (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45), a priest who
is appointed the leader of the community has the primary task of serving the people. Serving
the people in India has its own pros and cons. On the positive side, priestly ministry would
be satisfying and fulfilling, but on the negative side, it could be exhausting and frustrating due
to the various unanticipated demands and challenges a priest has to confront on a daily basis.
Based on the findings, and taking into account the nature of priestly ministry in India, which is
people oriented—wherein priests participate in the daily lives of the people directly, unlike the
clergy in the West, who have the staff at the rectory—we expect Neuroticism to be positively
associated with burnout and negatively associated with engagement.
Second, concerning Extraversion, which is characterized by a tendency to be self-confident,
dominant, active, and excitement seeking, some studies (Bakker et al., 2006) have found
Extraversion to be a negatively associated with burnout and positively associated with engage-
ment (Langelaan et al., 2006). The few empirical studies among clergy (Francis et al., 2004;
Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998) found a negative association between Extraversion and burnout.
Pastoral ministry in India involves constantly being with, guiding, and leading the people
(Manalel, 2006; Ponnore, 2001; Thoppil, 2004). Catholic priests are called to be shepherds
of the people entrusted to their pastoral care (Manalel, 2006). They are also called to be
the father figures of the community they are appointed to serve. Pastoral ministry in India
involves constantly being with and for the people. Hence, it would be rather likely that priests
scoring high on Extraversion would naturally get along with the people with ease than priests
who are low on Extraversion. Thus, it would be rather conducive for priests scoring high on
Extraversion to get along with the people with more ease than for priests who are low on
Extraversion. In line with the literature and research, we assumed that Extraversion would be
negatively associated with burnout and positively associated with engagement.
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RELATIONSHIP AMONG INDIAN CLERGY 279
Third, there are only a few studies that have investigated the relationship between burnout
and Openness to experience, which is characterized by a tendency to be creative, intelligent,
and open to new ideas (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Zellars and colleagues (2000) reported a
positive association among health care workers between Openness to experience and per-
sonal accomplishment and a negative association with depersonalization, but they found no
significant association with emotional exhaustion. Deary and colleagues (1996) reported a
positive association among consultant doctors between Openness and emotional exhaustion
but found no significant association with depersonalization and personal accomplishment. A
longitudinal study among Australian clergy reported that Openness was negatively associated
with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (Miner, 2007). Some studies (Bakker et al.,
2006; Piedmont, 1993; Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998) found no significant relationship between
Openness and burnout dimensions. In general, Catholic diocesan priests are entrusted to care for
a community with diligence and prudence. A community in India naturally comprises various
types of people (not excluding people of other religious faiths) with different temperaments
approaching religion with their own preconceived convictions and ideas, moods and feelings,
and problems and tribulations. To cater to all at the same time without harming their faith and
offending their religious sentiments requires a lot of flexibility and creativity on the part of the
priest. In addition, the vast majority of the people, especially in rural India, are uneducated
and struggle even to make a decent living. Hence, a priest has to adjust himself and respond
more openly and creatively to the needs, legitimate desires, and wants of the people rather than
being rigid and strict in his dealings with them. To attend to the needs of all the people in
a community, priests ideally need to be flexible and open to the experiences and opinions of
others. Taking into account the characteristics associated with Openness and the situation of
priestly ministry in India, we expect Openness to experience to be negatively associated with
burnout and positively associated with engagement.
Agreeableness, in turn, is characterized by the tendency to be most concerned with inter-
personal relationships (Mathew & Deary, 1998). Previous research among consultant doctors
(Deary et al., 1996), health care professionals (Zellars et al., 2000), volunteer counselors
(Bakker et al., 2006), and nurses (Deary, Watson, & Hogston, 2003) reported a significant nega-
tive association between Agreeableness and depersonalization but found no significant associa-
tion with emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment. A study among American Baptist
clergy (Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998) reported a significant relationship between Agreeableness
and burnout. However, studies on the association between Agreeableness and engagement are
lacking. Pastoral ministry in general is an arduous task for priests; however, because of the
sociocultural and religious situation prevalent in India, ministering is even more challenging
in the sense that people incessantly approach the priests for anything and everything, ranging
from personal, psychological, social, spiritual, marital, and even financial problems. Learning
to be concerned about the welfare of the people, being considerate, friendly, generous, and
helpful are essential characteristics of priestly ministry in India. Taking into account the nature
of priestly ministry in India and based on previous research, we expect Agreeableness to be
negatively associated with burnout and positively associated with engagement.
The construct of Conscientiousness, represents the drive to accomplish something, and
it contains the characteristics necessary in such a pursuit: being organized, self-disciplined,
systematic, efficient, practical, and steady (De Raad, 2000). Studies regarding the association
between Conscientiousness and burnout are scarce, and the few studies that have investigated
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280 JOSEPH ET AL.
this relation have shown equivocal results. Some studies found significant associations with
only one or two dimensions of burnout, namely, the study among consultant doctors (Deary
et al., 1996) and health care professionals (Piedmont, 1993, reported that Conscientiousness
was associated with personal accomplishment alone). A study among nursing students reported
that Conscientiousness had a positive relationship with depersonalization and personal accom-
plishment (Deary et al., 2003), whereas Bakker and colleagues (2006) found no significant
association between Conscientiousness and burnout among volunteer counselors. A study
among American Baptist pastors found a negative relation between Conscientiousness and
burnout (Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998). As a pastoral leader, ministering in India is strenuous
because a priest has to deal constantly with people who are poor, downtrodden, uneducated,
and unemployed with various social, financial, and cultural burdens. Unless he has some set
goals and targets to help the people, he could become burned out from meeting all the demands.
Furthermore, systematic planning could alleviate confusion and unnecessary stress in a bid to
alleviate the plight of the people. The necessary characteristics required for a priest to achieve
such clarity in ministry necessitates that he be a man who is organized, systematic, efficient,
practical, steady, and persistent. He should purposefully plan things ahead of time for the well-
being of the individuals entrusted to his care. Unless he has some set goals and gets organized
to help the people, he could end up frustrated. Although the results of the studies are mixed with
regard to Conscientiousness and burnout and there is a dearth of research on Conscientiousness
and engagement, taking into consideration the multicultural Indian society in which a priest
ministers, we expect Conscientiousness to be negatively associated with burnout and positively
associated with engagement.
METHOD
Procedure
The main geographic focus was South India, which comprises Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. The
present empirical study was conducted in the Catholic Latin dioceses of the regions previously
mentioned during the months of February to May 2007. Before embarking on the distribution
of the questionnaires, a feasible method to reach the priests was devised. First, as the clergy
population in South India is widely dispersed, the sampling method adopted was by randomly
choosing the dioceses in the four ecclesiastical regions of South India, namely, Tamil Nadu
(14 dioceses), Karnataka (5 dioceses), Andhra Pradesh (1 diocese), and Kerala (1 diocese).
Second, priest delegates in the dioceses chosen, all of whom extended positive assurances
that they would lend a hand in the distribution and collection of the questionnaires, were
contacted. Thirty priest delegates from 21 dioceses,1 with a clergy population of around 1,800,
came forward. The questionnaires were mailed to them in packets containing 20, 30, or 50,
in accordance with their requests. As instructed the delegates distributed the questionnaires to
1Alwaye, Bangalore, Bellary, Chikmagalur, Chingelpet, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Kottar, Kumbakonam,
Madras-Mylapore, Mysore, Ootacamund, Palayamkottai, Pondicherry, Salem, Shimoga, Sivagangai, Thanjavur, Trichy,
and Vizag.
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RELATIONSHIP AMONG INDIAN CLERGY 281
all the priests who resided and ministered in the area in which the delegate had his residence.
Hence, no specific criteria were followed for selecting the priests to fill out the questionnaire
or in the distribution of the questionnaire as such, for every priest could be part of the sample.
Most of the delegates personally visited the priests, explained the nature of the research,
and distributed the questionnaires on behalf of the researcher. By the end of February 2007,
800 questionnaires were distributed.
Participants
Overall, 540 questionnaires were returned from 16 Catholic dioceses, for a response rate of
67.5%, including those who responded but declined to participate (n D 28) and those whose
data were incomplete (n D 1). Of the 67.5% (540) who returned their questionnaires, 63.9%
(511) were complete and therefore usable for the study. The age of the participants in our sample
varied between 27 and 88 years, with a mean age of 43.2 years (SD D 11.8). The participants’
ministerial experience varied from 1 to 58 years, with a mean of 14.9 years (SD D 11.9). With
respect to participants’ level of education in our study, 43.2% had bachelor’s degrees, 44.4%
obtained a master’s degree, 11.5% had acquired a Ph.D., and 4 participants did not indicate
their educational qualification. In this study, 28.2% of the participants lived alone without a
companion priest, 26.4% had 1 priest companion, 16.8% had 2, 8.4% had 3, and the remaining
20.2% lived with between 5 and 38 companion priests. A vast majority of the participants lived
in towns or semiurban and rural areas, 33.5% of the priests ministered in rural areas, 49.7%
worked in town areas, and 16.8% worked in metropolitan cities. In our study, 74.4% of the
priests were engaged in parish ministry, 25.6% worked in institutions (seminaries, colleges,
schools and commissions at the national, regional and diocesan levels), and 3.7% worked in
the diocesan curia.
Measures
The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach, 1986). The MBI is a self-report
questionnaire developed to assess the three aspects of the burnout syndrome: emotional ex-
haustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment. Each aspect is measured
by a separate subscale. Higher scores in the first two subscales and lower scores in the third
subscale indicate greater levels of burnout. Emotional exhaustion is assessed by nine items that
measure feelings of being emotionally overextended and exhausted by one’s work (e.g., “I feel
emotionally drained from my ministry”; ˛2
D .91). Depersonalization is assessed by five items
and measures an unfeeling and impersonal response toward recipients of one’s care. (e.g., “I
feel I treat some parishioners/people in the institution as if they are impersonal objects”; ˛ D
.83). Personal accomplishment is assessed by eight items that appraises feelings of competence
and successful achievement in one’s work with people (e.g., “I can easily understand how my
parishioners/people in the institution feel about things”; ˛ D .81). All 22 items of the MBI
scale use a 7-point Likert scale from 0 (never) to 6 (everyday), indicating the frequency of a
feeling or perception.
2The Cronbach alphas mentioned in this section are based on the present study among the Indian Catholic priests.
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282 JOSEPH ET AL.
Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES; Schaufeli et al., 2002). UWES is a self-
report questionnaire with 17 items assessing work engagement. Engagement is characterised as
possessing high levels of vigor, dedication, and absorption (e.g., “At my work, I feel bursting
with energy”; ˛ D .89). Subjecting our data to a factor analysis using PCA3 with iteration and
varimax rotation, factor loadings below .40 were suppressed. All items loaded on one factor,
which is in line with Sonnentag’s (2003) study that reported a single factor structure, settling
for the total composite score of the UWES as a measure for work engagement. In our study,
we have employed the one factor fit of engagement.
The NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; Costa & McCrae, 1992). NEO-FFI is an
abbreviated 60-item version of the 240-item NEO-PI-R assessing Neuroticism, Extraversion,
Openness to experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. The anchoring for all the
60 items varies from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). Neuroticism (12 items) assesses
the negative affect and self-reproach (e.g., Sometimes I feel completely worthless; ˛ D .72).
Extraversion (12 items) assesses positive affect, sociability, and activity (e.g., I like to have
a lot of people around me; ˛ D .72). Openness to experience (12 items) assesses aesthetic
and intellectual interests and unconventionality (e.g., I am intrigued by the patterns I find in
art and nature; ˛ D .46). Agreeableness (12 items) assesses nonantagonistic orientation and
pro-social orientation (e.g., I try to be courteous to everyone I meet; ˛ D .75). Conscientious-
ness (12 items) assesses orderliness, goal striving, and dependability (e.g., When I make a
commitment, I can always be counted on to follow; ˛ D .81). Openness to experience had
no significant relationship with the other subscales. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for all
the subscales in our study range from .72 to .81, which are acceptable (Nunnally & Bernstein,
1994), with the exception of Openness to experience (˛ D .46). Because of the low reliability
and lack of significant relations with other scales, Openness to experience is excluded from
further analyses.
Data Analysis
Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) were used to describe the sample charac-
teristics. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to investigate the relationship between the
study variables. To examine the unique association between personality traits, burnout, and
engagement, a series of hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed for each of the
dependent variables (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, and
engagement) in two steps. Several relevant demographic variables were controlled, namely,
age, education, companions, place, and residence. Education (bachelor’s, master’s, & PhD)
was recoded into two dummy variables with those who have completed master’s as the
reference group. Place (rural, town, and metro) was recoded into two dummy variables with
town as reference group, and residence (parish and institution) was recoded into one dummy
variable with institution as reference group. In each of these regressions, demographic variables
were entered in the model in the first step to control for their influence on burnout and
engagement. In the second step, the four personality variables (Neuroticism, Extraversion,
3PCA–Principal Component Analysis
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RELATIONSHIP AMONG INDIAN CLERGY 283
TABLE 1
Correlations, Means, and Standard Deviation of Burnout and Engagement and Personality Traits
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 M SD
1 EE 1 2.00 1.35
2 DP .85** 1 1.84 1.40
3 PA �.22** �.22** 1 3.61 1.18
4 EN �.63** �.62** .56** 1 4.02 1.42
5 N .53** .50** �.44** �.50** 1 2.82 .55
6 E �.34** �.32** .33** .48** �.31** 1 3.35 .46
7 O .00 �.03 �.01 �.02 �.05 .09 1 2.94 .29
8 A �.51** �.56** .32** .48** �.56** .46** .08 1 3.40 .53
9 C �.33** �.31** .35** .44** �.34** .37** �.02 .37** 1 3.72 .53
Note. EE D Emotional Exhaustion; DP D Depersonalization; PA D Personal Accomplishment; EN D
Engagement; N D Neuroticism; E D Extraversion; O D Openness to Experience; A D Agreeableness; C D
Conscientiousness.
**p < .01.
Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) were entered. A test of the change in R2 indicates
whether personality traits add to the explanation of the dependent variable after controlling for
demographics.
RESULTS
Preliminary Analysis
Table 1 provides the means, standard deviations, and correlations of burnout, engagement, and
FFM personality traits. Neuroticism was positively related to emotional exhaustion and deper-
sonalization and negatively related to personal accomplishment and engagement. Extraversion,
Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were negatively related to emotional exhaustion and
depersonalization and positively to personal accomplishment and engagement.
Hierarchical Regression Analyses
The results in Table 2 show that among the demographic variables, age and residence were
negatively associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and positively associated
with engagement; in addition, the level of education was negatively associated with engagement.
The inclusion of personality traits in Step 2 led to a significant increase in the explained
variance for all the three subscales of burnout and the scale of engagement. Neuroticism was
positively associated, whereas Extraversion and Agreeableness were negatively associated, with
emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. On the other hand, Neuroticism was negatively
associated, whereas Extraversion and Conscientiousness were positively associated, with per-
sonal accomplishment. With regard to engagement, Neuroticism was negatively associated, and
Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were positively associated.
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284 JOSEPH ET AL.
TABLE 2
Results of Regression Analysis With Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization,
Lack of Personal Accomplishment, and Engagement as Dependent Variables and Demographic
Characteristics, Personality Traits, and Unrealistic Expectations as Predictors (N D 511)
Emo. Exhaustion Depersonalization P. Accomplish Engagement
Predictors Step 1 Step 2 Step 1 Step 2 Step 1 Step 2 Step 1 Step 2
Age �.11* �.09** �.13** �11** .01 .01 .06 .07*
Bachelor’s .04 .01 .03 .01 �.02 .01 �.02 .01
Ph.D. .06 .11** .06 .09* .05 �.02 �.01 �.09*
Companions �.10 �.07 �.10 �.07 �.03 �.05 .08 .06
Rural �.03 �.04 �.07 �.08* �.03 �.00 �.03 .01
Metro .02 �.03 �.08 �.06 �.02 �.02 .03 .02
Residence �.13* �.10* �.12* �.09* .02 .01 .10 .09*
Neuroticism .31*** .23*** �.34*** �.28***
Extraversion �.12** �.09* .15*** .29***
Agreeableness �.24*** �.34*** .00 .10**
Conscientiousness �.10* .07 .19*** .20***
R .22*** .63*** .27*** .64*** .08 (ns) .50*** .22*** .66***
R2 .05 .39 .07 .41 .01 .26 .05 .44
F value 3.48 28.63 5.51 30.67 .39 15.49 3.40 34.53
df (7, 495) (11, 491) (7, 495) (11, 481) (7, 493) (11, 489) (7, 493) (11, 489)
Change in R2 .05*** .34*** .07*** .34*** .01 (ns) .25*** .05*** .39***
Note. Emo D Emotional; P. Accomplish D Personal Accomplishment.
*p � .05. **p � .01. ***p � .001.
DISCUSSION
Priestly ministry always involves relationships with other people and is a highly social pro-
fession. Taking into consideration the multireligious situation in which a Catholic priest is
called to minister, we assumed that personality traits could determine in part levels of burnout
and engagement. This study therefore investigated the associations between personality traits,
burnout, and engagement among Indian diocesan Catholic clergy.
With regard to Neuroticism, as expected, the results of our study were in line with previous
research among human service professionals (Bakker et al., 2006; Deary et al., 1996; Deary
et al., 2003; Matthew & Deary, 1998) and clergy (Francis et al., 2004; Rodgerson & Piedmont,
1998) that reported a positive association between Neuroticism and burnout (refer to Table 2)
and a negative association with engagement (Langelaan et al., 2006). Priestly ministry in
India involves constant interaction with people in their day-to-day struggles, which could
emotionally exhaust priests, particularly those that have a proneness to experience negative
affect, such as priests with high levels of Neuroticism. It is not unexpected that priests in India
are confronted by people who seek assistance for their various needs (material, emotional,
spiritual, educational, and medical). Most often priests do not possess the resources or the
solutions to alleviate all the problems of the countless numbers who approach them. Such
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challenging circumstances would be difficult even for normal individuals to deal with and
manage. Taking into consideration the priestly call and the Indian context in particular where
the priest is incessantly thronged by the people, it is likely that priests who are not too anxious,
easily frustrated, annoyed, and irritated would be able to deal with and manage the challenges of
priestly life and ministry more effectively. The results of our data reflect this notion emphatically
that priests who score low on Neuroticism tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from
persistent negative feelings (Costa & McCrae, 1980) and feel engaged in their priestly ministry.
On the other hand, priests who exhibit neurotic characteristics in their priestly life and ministry
are burned out.
With regard to Extraversion, the results of our study revealed that Extraversion had a
significant negative association with burnout and a positive association with engagement.
These findings support the literature and previous empirical research among other occupational
groups (Bakker et al., 2006; Deary et al., 1996; Matthew & Deary, 1998) and clergy (Francis
et al., 2004; Jackson, 1983; Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998) that reported a negative association
between Extraversion and burnout and a positive association with engagement (Langelaan et al.,
2006). Priestly ministry is challenging everywhere in the world, however, the exercise of priestly
ministry can be more challenging in India where Catholics are an impoverished minority. Often
challenges come unanticipated from sudden explosions of communal violence; persecution of
Christians by fanatical Hindu movements (Shourie, 1999); eruptions of natural disasters like
earthquakes, floods, and so on; “sheep stealing” by other denominational congregations; anti-
Christian attitudes and policies from the government (Chellakan, 2006); and so on. Unless a
priest is optimistic and enthusiastic about his priestly role, it would be hard for him to guard,
guide, and lead the people entrusted to his care. Ministry basically involves interacting with the
people and participating in their struggles on a daily basis, which necessarily requires constant
vigilance; fearless courage; patient love; and, above all, immense optimism. Therefore, it is
necessary that the priest be action oriented and people oriented, which are the characteristics
of Extraversion. It is evident from our results that priests who score low on Extraversion are
exhausted and frustrated in trying to meet these demands and eventually burn out and that
those with high scores on Extraversion are engaged.
With regard to Agreeableness, the results of our study showed that it was negatively
associated with only two dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization),
which is in line with previous research that reported that Agreeableness was associated with
one or two dimensions of burnout, namely, depersonalization (Deary et al., 1996; Deary et al.,
2003; Zellars et al., 2000) and personal accomplishment (Bakker et al., 2006). Priestly ministry
in India is intense because people value the presence of the priest in every aspect of their lives.
Knowledge of the nature of priestly ministry in India could be vital in understanding the
relationship between Agreeableness and burnout. Catholics in India live in a multireligious
context with the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and other religious groups who are
devoted to their religious beliefs, practices, customs, and ceremonies. The priests and leaders of
these religious groups play a vital role in lives of the people. Catholics also, to a great extent,
expect the presence and the blessing of their priest in all their endeavours and undertakings
(Manalel, 2006). In addition, there are several Christian denominational groups who are eagerly
waiting for opportunities to attract Catholics to their congregational gatherings and prayer
meetings. Hence, it is imperative for the Catholic priests to be generally concerned with the
well-being and welfare of the people involved in their lives, and extend themselves more
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286 JOSEPH ET AL.
generously by being considerate, friendly, and helpful to the people, which are some of the basic
characteristics of the Agreeableness trait. Therefore, a priest who scores low on Agreeableness
and feels that being with the people is cumbersome is exhausted and depersonalized; on the
other hand, a priest who scores high on Agreeableness is engaged in priestly ministry.
With regard to Conscientiousness, our results were in line with the study among American
Baptist clergy (Rodgerson & Piedmont, 1998) that reported a negative association between
Conscientiousness and burnout. As noted earlier, in India where illiteracy and poverty loom
large, priests have a multitude of concerns ranging from generating funds to keep the parish or
institution alive; construction and maintenance of the church or rectory; helping the poor in their
educational, medical, and housing needs; channelizing government grants that aim at the welfare
of poor, orphaned, and downtrodden; and so on. To achieve all this involves meticulous planning
and systematic organization, which are the basic characteristics of a conscientious individual,
and appears to protect Indian priests against burnout. In addition, the priest is the person who is
sought after to deal with most of the concerns that transpire in the lives of the Catholics, ranging
from personal to psychological to marital problems. When priests are inundated incessantly with
the cares of the people, we assumed that priests who are not organized, systematic, efficient,
practical, and steady would be tired and exhausted in accomplishing their priestly ministry.
The results of our study have confirmed the assumption true beyond doubt. On the other hand,
because conscientious individuals achieve their target through purposeful organized planning
and persistence, it is not surprising that they are engaged in their priestly ministry.
The lack of significant results for the Openness to experience scale in our study can be
accounted for the following: The factor structure was collapsed, and the reliability score for the
Openness scale was very low (˛ D .46). A similar blurred factor structure has been witnessed
by a study among Australian adolescents (N D 459) that used the NEO-FFI. The study reported
that with the exception of Openness, the other factors had good internal consistency. However,
statistical indices for factor structure did not support an FFM (Sneed, Gullone, & Moore,
2002). The lexical hypothesis could provide a plausible explanation for the collapsed factor
structure for the NEO-FFI in the Indian sample of priests. According to the lexical hypothesis,
personality traits are represented in natural language. This hypothesis has been reported to
have cross-cultural relevance and support (Saucier & Golberg, 1996). Given this hypothesis,
the NEO-FFI may not contain adjectives or behavioral descriptions relevant to an FFM for the
sample of Indian priests (cf. Church & Katigbak, 1988; Sneed et al., 2002). Indeed this could
be due to the homogeneous sample of priests raised in the traditional Indian religious society
and culture and formed in a seminary environment, which could also have a significant impact.
Notwithstanding, a factor structure could have emerged if the participants had completed the
NEO-PI-R that includes several more behavioral descriptions that may have led to a discernible
FFM. A study by Lodhi, Deo, and Belhekar (2002) using an Indian (Marathi) adaptation of the
NEO-PI-R among 214 college students report that factor analyses supported the FFM. Because
this proposition needs further research on the FFM with priest samples and because our study
attempts to establish only the relevance and association of burnout and engagement with the
personality traits, we did not delve into establishing the statistical criteria not supporting the
FFM for the NEO-FFI. As the NEO-FFI is an internationally validated and accepted scale, we
decided to work with the original four dimensional version, excluding the Openness scale.
Yet, clearly, the results of this study need to be interpreted in the context of several
important limitations. These include the cross-sectional design and the reliance on self-report.
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RELATIONSHIP AMONG INDIAN CLERGY 287
Longitudinal studies, though, cannot guarantee yet could aid in establishing causal relationships
between personality factors and burnout and engagement in Indian priests. Moreover, given the
specific cultural context, results may not generalize to other priests in other parts of the world.
In addition, the Openness to experience scale had low reliability and was not significantly
related to burnout, engagement, or the other four personality traits. Perhaps this is due to social
desirability bias and/or the fact that this factor has a different meaning in this sample. Future
studies should perhaps use the NEO-PI-R, which includes several more behavioral descriptions
of the FFM dimensions.
Yet, despite these limitations, this study may have important practical implications, partic-
ularly for the selection and training of priests. More specifically, future priests in India should
be screened for personality issues, and those with high levels of Neuroticism and low levels of
Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness should be identified and assisted in helping
them to overcome these personality issues through further training and/or personal therapy.
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