Analysis of an individual's psychological well-being in a professional environment: from motivation to job satisfaction

INTRODUCTION. The professional activity of the subject of labor is viewed primarily through the phenomenon of professional activity, understood as a manifestation of subject activity, the need to “serve”, enthusiasm, demonstrated in professional activity and providing the degree of interaction and the nature of relationships, and reflecting the hierarchy of personality motives, designed to ensure the optimal functioning of a person in the profession and in life. The key importance is given to the structure of motivation of professional activity. Job satisfaction is thus considered to be one of the significant characteristics of the quality of satisfaction of a person’s psycho-emotional, personal, and social needs, affecting his or her psychological well-being. The article is focused on the study of the structure of professional motivation among education workers with different levels of professional satisfaction. AIM. Research into the structure of professional motivation among education workers with different levels of professional satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study was conducted using the “Integral satisfaction with work” method by Batarshev A.V., the “Motivation of professional activity” method (Zamfir K. in the modification of Rean A.A.), the “Self-assessment of professional development” and “Professional development and motivation” methods by Lazareva M.V. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using the SPSS Statistical 23 program. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. The authors reviewed the results of an empirical study of the structure of professional motivation among employees of general education organisations in five Russian regions (n = 371). The components of motivation for professional activity that are most significant for managers and teachers of modern schools were found: personal interest (average = 7.12), relationships with employees (average = 6.26), satisfaction with the level of professional aspirations (average = 5.74), preference for job content over earnings (average = 5.62). A divergence in the structure of the motivational organization of education workers was identified, categorized by high and low levels of professional satisfaction. It was found that teachers with high levels of satisfaction are characterized by a motivational structure in which internal motivation and a focus on professional development play a key role. Teachers with low levels of satisfaction have a more uniform motivational structure, which is mainly expressed in a focus on extrinsic incentives. CONCLUSION. The results of the study, aimed at studying the psychological well-being of a person in a professional environment through the formation of satisfaction with professional activity, led to the conclusion about the different structure of professional motivation of teachers with high and low levels of job satisfaction, and therefore identified the need for a differentiated approach to building managerial decisions. Social conditions and pragmatic incentives are considered by us as a possible reason for a decrease in teachers’ satisfaction with their professional activities, and therefore their maintenance is important at the level of an educational institution. The research results can be used to develop organizational programs aimed at increasing teachers’ satisfaction with professional activities and improving their psychological well-being.