RECONSTRUCTING PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT: EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION AND RESILIENCE OF UNIVERSITY LECTURERS UNDER ACADEMIC STRAIN

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33650/pjp.v12i2.12300
Authors

(1)  Sofia Sofia   (Nurul Jadid University, East Java)  
        Indonesia
(2) * Abdullah Abdullah   (Nurul Jadid University, East Java)  
        Indonesia
(3)  Rahimah Embong   (Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Trengganu)  
        Malaysia
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


The professional commitment of lecturers in higher education is increasingly under pressure due to publication demands, administrative burdens, and continuous performance-based evaluations. This condition triggers emotional exhaustion, not only in physical exhaustion but also in the depletion of psychological energy and a reduction in the depth of work’s meaning. This research aims to understand the experience of emotional fatigue and the role of psychological well-being as a resilience mechanism in maintaining professional commitment. Using the qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and documentation of lecturers from various universities. The results show that emotional exhaustion shifts professional involvement toward a more mechanistic, defensive stance. In contrast, psychological well-being, through self-acceptance, life goals, autonomy, personal growth, and positive relationships, can reconstruct the profession’s meaning and maintain commitment. This research contributes by presenting a resilience model based on psychological well-being in an academic context. So that means universities need to develop policies that not only reduce workload but also strengthen lecturers’ psychological foundations.

Keywords

Professional Commitment; Emotional Exhaustion; Resilience.



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Copyright (c) 2025 Sofia Sofia, Abdullah Abdullah, Rahimah Embong


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Published by Institute for Publication, Research, and Community Service of Nurul Jadid University, Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia.