Abstract

This study explored the essence of psychological burnout experiences due to emotional contagion using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews were conducted on 9 participants who work in fields that are subject to emotional contagion. Data analysis was conducted by using van Manen’s methodology, insisting that the pure description of an experience can be enriched by adding interpretation. The emotional contagion experiences were identified through this process and the findings were categorized into 3 core themes, 8 essential themes, and 35 subthemes. The first core theme is “emotions in constant exchange”. This theme included two essential themes: ‘various channels of emotional contagion’ and ‘subjective states that change depending on the transmitted emotions’. The second core theme, “filtering the experience of emotional contagion” included the essential themes of ‘the characteristics susceptible to the emotions of others’, ‘attitudes of spreading negative emotions’ and ‘situations that makes one feel overwhelmed by emotions’. The final core theme, “from burnout by emotional contagion to communication” was categorized into the following essential themes: ‘burnout-inducing entangled interactions’, ‘moving toward communication and connection’ and ‘recovery after psychological burnout’. Finally, the implications and suggestions for future research were discussed by summarizing the core contents of each themes.