Das Dilemma des Lehrerberufs sind … die Lehrer?

Abstract

In research on stress and strain within the teaching profession teachers appear not only as informants on the causes, effects and consequences of occupational stress and strain, but in the dominant personality-psychological analyses they are also viewed and treated empirically as central influence factors. However, as research only systematically collates person-related characteristics a primacy of these factors over person-independent, framework-related and relationship-based aspects cannot be empirically founded in this one-sided research. Therefore, it is argued here that organization-psychological approaches to research are required, which look at both the structural and profession-specific characteristics of schools as a workplace and of the professional work of teachers. These approaches would facilitate a situational analysis, including framework conditions, of stress and strain within the teaching profession. This would lead to a more balanced empirical basis for a differentiated analysis and an integration of personal characteristics - on the one hand - and work and situational conditions - on the other - and eventually enable attempts at integrating both approaches.