Unpacking the Pathway to Quiet Quitting Among Teachers: The Serial Mediating Roles of Dark Leadership and Organizational Cynicism in the Link Between Psychological Well-Being and Employee Withdrawal

Abstract

This study investigates the underlying psychosocial mechanisms of quiet quitting among teachers by examining the relationships between psychological well-being, dark leadership, and organizational cynicism within an integrated structural model. The study is based on data obtained from a sample of 555 teachers in Turkey. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources Theory and Social Exchange Theory, the study proposes that teachers’ psychological well-being serves as a protective personal resource, mitigating negative organizational experiences and shaping behavioral outcomes. The results reveal that psychological well-being is negatively associated with quiet quitting both directly and indirectly through dark leadership and organizational cynicism. Teachers with higher levels of well-being tend to report lower perceptions of dark leadership, display lower cynicism, and report reduced withdrawal tendencies. Furthermore, the findings indicate that dark leadership is positively associated with organizational cynicism, which in turn strongly predicts quiet quitting. The serial mediation analysis demonstrates that psychological well-being is associated with quiet quitting through a sequential pathway of dark leadership and organizational cynicism, highlighting the multilayered nature of withdrawal behaviors in educational settings. Overall, the study contributes to the literature by integrating individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors into a comprehensive framework and offers practical implications for fostering supportive leadership practices, strengthening teacher well-being, and reducing disengagement in schools.