THE ROLE OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN SHAPING EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING THROUGH PEOPLE-PLEASING MANAGEMENT AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

People-pleasing behavior is the tendency of individuals to prioritize the needs and expectations of others excessively, to the point of neglecting their own needs. This phenomenon is commonly found among female students in the early adulthood phase and has the potential to affect emotional well-being. This research aims to describe people-pleasing behavior, the factors underlying it, its impact on emotional well-being, and the role of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) in helping female students manage this behavioral tendency in the Islamic Religious Education Study Program at Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta. The research uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive design. The research informants consist of five fifth-semester female students who were purposively selected based on the criterion of a people-pleasing tendency. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using an interactive analysis model that includes data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The research results show that people-pleasing behavior in female students does not only manifest as an attitude of helping others, but develops into an interpersonal relationship pattern driven by the need for social acceptance and fear of rejection. The pattern is formed through the interaction between internal factors, such as low self-esteem and weak emotional regulation, and external factors, such as a culture of reluctance and gender expectations that place women in the role of maintaining relationship harmony. In the long term, this tendency causes female students to experience emotional exhaustion, stress, overthinking, decreased self-confidence, and disrupted academic concentration. This research also found that Islamic Religious Education serves as a source of values and psychological reinforcement through the formation of self-awareness, the ability to set personal boundaries, emotional control, and the internalization of Islamic values such as sincerity, patience, trust in God, and dignity. These findings indicate that the integration of Islamic Religious Education values in student development can serve as a preventive approach and emotional well-being development, especially for female students who have a tendency toward people-pleasing.

ABSTRAK

Perilaku people-pleasing merupakan kecenderungan individu untuk mendahulukan kebutuhan dan harapan orang lain secara berlebihan hingga mengabaikan kebutuhan dirinya sendiri. Fenomena ini banyak dijumpai pada mahasiswi yang berada pada fase dewasa awal dan berpotensi memengaruhi kesejahteraan emosional. Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan perilaku people-pleasing, faktor-faktor yang melatarbelakanginya, dampaknya terhadap kesejahteraan emosional, serta peran Pendidikan Agama Islam (PAI) dalam membantu mahasiswi mengelola kecenderungan perilaku tersebut di Program Studi Pendidikan Agama Islam Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan desain deskriptif. Informan penelitian terdiri atas lima mahasiswi semester lima yang dipilih secara purposive berdasarkan kriteria kecenderungan people-pleasing. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara semi-terstruktur dan dianalisis menggunakan model analisis interaktif yang meliputi reduksi data, penyajian data, dan penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perilaku people-pleasing pada mahasiswi tidak hanya muncul sebagai sikap membantu orang lain, tetapi berkembang menjadi pola relasi interpersonal yang didorong oleh kebutuhan akan penerimaan sosial dan kekhawatiran terhadap penolakan. Pola tersebut terbentuk melalui interaksi antara faktor internal, seperti rendahnya harga diri dan lemahnya regulasi emosi, dengan faktor eksternal berupa budaya sungkan dan ekspektasi gender yang menempatkan perempuan sebagai pihak yang diharapkan menjaga keharmonisan hubungan. Dalam jangka panjang, kecenderungan ini menyebabkan mahasiswi mengalami kelelahan emosional, stres, overthinking, penurunan kepercayaan diri, dan terganggunya konsentrasi akademik. Penelitian ini juga menemukan bahwa Pendidikan Agama Islam berperan sebagai sumber nilai dan penguatan psikologis melalui pembentukan kesadaran diri, kemampuan menetapkan batasan diri (personal boundaries), pengendalian emosi, serta internalisasi nilai-nilai Islam seperti ikhlas, sabar, tawakal, dan 'izzah. Temuan ini mengindikasikan bahwa integrasi nilai-nilai Pendidikan Agama Islam dalam pembinaan mahasiswa dapat menjadi pendekatan preventif dan pengembangan kesejahteraan emosional, khususnya bagi mahasiswi yang memiliki kecenderungan people-pleasing.