사회복지사의 감정노동이 전문직 정체성에 미치는 영향 : 감성지능의 매개효과와 마음챙김의 조절효과

Effect of Emotional Labor on Professional Occupational Identity of Social Workers: The Mediating Effect of Emotional Intelligence and the Moderating Effect of Mindfulness

(Propose) The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the impact of social workers' emotional labor on their professional identity, as well as the role of mindfulness in this process. The specific objectives of this study are as follows: First, to investigate the influence of social workers' emotional labor on their emotional intelligence and professional identity. Second, to examine the mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between social workers' emotional labor and professional identity. Third, to identify the moderating effect of social workers' mindfulness. The findings of this study can be utilized as empirical evidence on the impact of social workers' emotional labor on their professional identity. The results are expected to contribute to enhancing the competency of social workers in the field of social welfare practice, and to provide useful information for policy making for social welfare professionals and organizations. (Design/methodology/approach) The survey for this study was conducted from October 1 to October 20, 2023, for a total of 20 days, targeting social workers working in social welfare institutions as the main participants. A total of 560 responses were ultimately used for the analysis. In this study, SPSS 21 and AMOS 21 were used as the statistical programs. First, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted using SPSS 21. Correlation analysis was also performed to examine the relationships among the selected factors. Secondly, confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were performed using AMOS, with the assumption of multivariate normality and maximum likelihood estimation. To examine the mediating effect, the bootstrapping method (500 samples, p < 0.05) was employed. Additionally, the moderating effect of mindfulness was tested using multi-group analysis (MGA) in AMOS. (Findings)The results of this study showed that the social workers' emotional labor had a direct effect on emotional intelligence. Specifically, surface acting had a negative impact on emotional intelligence, while deep acting had a positive impact on emotional intelligence. Moreover, surface acting had a statistically significant negative impact on professional identity, while deep acting and emotional intelligence had a positive influence on professional identity. The study also examined the mediating effect of emotional intelligence, which was found to be significant. Emotional intelligence mediated the relationship between surface acting and professional identity, as well as the relationship between deep acting and professional identity. Furthermore, to investigate the moderating effect of mindfulness, a multi-group analysis(MGA( was conducted, and a significant moderating effect was confirmed. (Research implications or Originality) This study empirically examined the phenomenon of confusion and fragmentation of identity experienced by social workers in the field, as well as the process of reconstructing their professional identity. This attempt demonstrated that social workers' professional identity has a positive relationship with organizational effectiveness, thereby proving the importance of professional identity in the social work practice field. Based on these findings, the results of this study can be considered as important policy data for increasing the emotional labor of the many social workers currently working in the field.