ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to lend insight into the work experience of H&D workers. An analysis was conducted to investigate whether the buffering effect of contact with beneficiaries could also serve to alleviate prosocial workers emotional exhaustion. The current study sought to add to the humanitarian work psychology (HWP) literature by understanding what follows from emotional exhaustion in terms of withdrawal and well-being among humanitarian and development (H&D) workers, and how prosocial motives and contact with beneficiaries might affect this relationship. The initial lack of resources acts as a trigger of further resources losses, resulting in greater psychosomatic health symptoms among emotionally exhausted H&D workers. The chapter also describes the results of hypotheses tests, divided into results for withdrawal and for health, respectively. Finally, the findings of this study demonstrated the greater benefits that prosocially motivated employees derive from the very nature of H&D work.
