Relationship Between the Level of Self-Motivation and the Level of Ministerial Burnout Among Catholic Priests in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Malawi

Ministerial burnout has emerged as a significant concern among Catholic priests, potentially affecting their psychological well-being, pastoral effectiveness, and vocational commitment. This study examined the levels of self-motivation and ministerial burnout, and the relationship between these variables among Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Malawi. Self-Determination Theory and the Balance Affect Model guided the study. A quantitative correlational survey design was employed. The target population comprised 145 Catholic priests serving in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe. Due to the small size of the target population, a census approach was adopted. The study sought to include all 145 Catholic priests serving in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe at the time of data collection. Since the whole targeted population were given a chance to participate, selection bias could not be observed. However, the structured data were successfully collected from n= 115, with a 79.3% response rate. Data were gathered using the Self-Motivation Inventory (SMI) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and analysed using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, and the Chi-square test were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that 46.1% of the priests reported high levels of self-motivation, while 48.7% reported low levels of ministerial burnout. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a very strong negative relationship between self-motivation and ministerial burnout (r = -.912, p < .001), indicating that higher levels of self-motivation were associated with lower levels of ministerial burnout. The study concludes that self-motivation is an important protective factor against ministerial burnout and recommends initiatives that strengthen priests’ intrinsic motivation and overall well-being.

Self-motivation, Ministerial burnout, Catholic priests, Self-Determination Theory

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