Assessing self and role in clergy: Relationships between burnout, conflict management style, and turnover

Concern about the current and future state of pastoral leadership is being raised both within and without ecclesiastical circles. While there are various reasons put forth to explain what some call a crisis in church leadership, burnout and conflict management continue to surface as significant issues for clergy. Much of the literature on burnout describes the pastoral role from the perspective of multiple demands or offers prescriptions for recovery, and typically employs an individual model. Although a growing number of authors are beginning to examine the systemic nature of burnout and conflict, little attention has been paid to psychological dynamics of the relationship between the individual and the expectations of the clergy role.; In this study, the perspectives from self-perception theory, role-identity theory, and Bowen theory are proposed as the basis of a model for examining the relationship of self and role in clergy. Taken together, these serve to develop Bowen's concept of differentiation of self to provide insight into the dynamics between the self and role within the context of the clergy-congregation emotional system. The present study used a sample of clergy from upstate New York to confirm the five factor structure of the Differentiation of Self and Role—Clergy (DSR-C) and to test its predictive validity in relationship to the constructs of burnout and conflict management style.; The results of a confirmatory factor analysis suggest some questions remain regarding the factor structure of the DSR-C; however, the DSR-C did predict burnout and conflict management style. A path analysis indicated clergy functioning at higher levels of differentiation of self and role experienced lowered perceptions of role overload and ambiguity, in turn decreasing burnout. Additionally, greater differentiation of self and role demonstrated an association with a collaborative conflict management style. Finally, it is suggested that future research should incorporate the dynamics of the clergy family system, issues of clergy spirituality, and the growing literature on various approaches to leadership.