SELF CARE FOR SOCIAL WORKERS IN AVOIDING BURNOUT

Abstract

On the basis of the analysis of scientific researches it has been determined that professional self-education of social workers is a conscious creative activity aimed at improving personal qualities; mastering professionally meaningful knowledge, skills and qualities; creative abilities that promote self-realization in life and professional activity. The purpose and content of professional self-education are determined by the requirements of society to the specialist, the spiritual needs of a particular person, their aspirations for self-realization and self-affirmation in life or profession. During the study it has been established that in social worker’s activity there are manifestations of professional deformation. It is a result of distortion of the professional and personal qualities of a person, under the influence of a number of negative factors of activity and the environment, which negatively affects the productivity of the work and interaction with the participants in this process. We can determine the professional deformation with the help of the following factors: objective (associated with the socio-occupational environment: the socio-economic situation in the job market in the professional field, the image and the nature of the profession, etc.); subjective (due to peculiarities of the personality and the nature of professional relationships); situational (due to the specifics of the organization, the quality of managerial activity, the professionalism of the manager). The prevention of occupational deformation is a complex of measures aimed at preventing the conditions and causes contributing to the emergence and development of the workers’ occupational deformation, as well as those used in the case of specific manifestations of occupational deformation. They are of the urgent determination nature and they eliminate the factors that increase the risk of professional deformation of the staff. The areas of prevention occupational deformation include: organizational and administrative (mitigating the deforming influence of the activities through the temporary exclusion of an employee from the activity, the professional environment or a change); renewable and rehabilitation (recovering and strengthening of the physical, psycho-physiological potential of the worker, maintenance of his ability to work); psychological and pedagogical (formation and development of individual-personality characteristics, which block deforming influence). Based on empirical data, the personality and behavior characteristics are identified, which minimize the manifestations or increase the risk of professional deformation. The factors preventing professional deformation are found out. It has been established that professional self-education is an important factor in the prevention of social workers’ deformation. The recommendations are provided concerning the problem of social workers’ professional deformation prevention.