Work passion and academic wellbeing

Higher education is facing a mental health crisis as research students and academic staff are continuously exposed to psychosocial risks at work. They face increased demands towards teaching, the pressure to publish research outputs, and to fulfill time-consuming administrative service or leadership responsibilities. Consequently, the rising trend of isolation, competition, and precarity in the university environment significantly impede academic wellbeing. Nevertheless, academics and research students maintain a ‘passion’ for academic work, remaining steadfast in the value of their contributions to knowledge expansion and student learning experience. In this chapter, we discuss the key distinguishing features of the Dualistic Model of Passion as the focal theoretical framework that explains the link between work passion and academic wellbeing. We review the difference between harmonious and obsessive passion, its relationship with academic wellbeing outcomes, and discuss the determinants of passion. Finally, we discuss the implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.