Integrative theoretical model of psychological safety research among university teachers

Abstract

Context and relevance. The current state of Russian higher education is characterized by ongoing reforms, stricter scientometric requirements, and the introduction of performance-based contracts, which are accompanied by increased cognitive and emotional strain on academic staff. In this context, the phenomenon of psychological safety of the educational environment gains particular importance; however, classical Western concepts do not fully account for the cultural and institutional specificity of the Russian academic environment. Objective: to develop and theoretically justify an integrative model for studying the psychological safety of university teachers that synthesizes resource-based, environmental, individual-personal, ecopsychological, acmeological, and energy-informational approaches. Hypothesis. It is assumed that the integration of these approaches overcomes the limitations of single-approach analysis and provides a multidimensional explanation of the mechanisms linking the psychological safety of the educational environment with professional burnout among teachers, taking into account culturally specific factors. Methods and materials. Theoretical analysis and qualitative synthesis of scientific literature on the problem of psychological safety and professional burnout; methods of generalization, systematization, and modeling. Results. The paper proposes an integrative theoretical model in which psychological safety is viewed as an integral result of the interaction of six approaches: the resource approach defines resource loss as a mechanism of burnout; the environmental approach captures the objective parameters of the educational environment; the ecopsychological approach introduces a typology of interaction in the “person—environment” system; the acmeological approach sets the vector of professional development; the energy-informational approach accounts for the psychophysiological cost of adaptation; the individual-personal approach emphasizes the role of professional readiness and personal qualities of the teacher. The concept of interpersonal risk in relation to teachers is elaborated, and the concept of tolerance to interpersonal risk is introduced as a dynamic state determined by a set of factors corresponding to the six approaches. Culturally specific mechanisms are identified: collective proactive coping, the safety paradox, and existential threats. Conclusions. The proposed model overcomes both the Western-centric bias and the purely personalistic interpretation of burnout, substantiates the need for cultural adaptation of diagnostic tools, and opens prospects for empirical verification and cross-cultural research.