Relationships between Psychological Resilience and Work Engagement: Field Study in the Geography of Tragedies; Afghanistan Universities

Abstract

Psychological resilience has been, to a certain extent, explained by Western individualistic, and static factors. However, dynamic factors that affect the resilience through the process are proofed to be more important, i.e. culture. In some collectivist nations, like Afghanistan, the meaning of work embedded in what their own culture taught them. Afghan cultural context may provide the foundation for different ways of knowing, including resilience, by people in that nation. So, the main aim of this research is to find out the impact of psychological resilience on work engagement from the Afghan national cultural perspective. In a study of 713 staffs from 27 universities in Afghanistan show that work engagement dimensions are more related to the social and family factor of resilience than individual ones, supporting the cultural cohesion theory of individuals of Afghan people. Resiliency and energy are also one of the critical components of work engagement, vitality as a more individualistic work engagement factor lost its importance.