Where does burnout come from?

Abstract

History and background Burnout is a metaphor. It describes a state of exhaustion similar to the smothering of a fire or the extinguishing of a candle. Where there used to be a vital spark and the flame of life was burning bright, it is now dark and chilly. The fuel has been used up and the energy backup is depleted. As a matter of fact, this metaphor is not entirely appropriate as it is too static. A broken car battery that cannot be recharged and loses its power bit by bit is a better comparison than the notion of a fixed amount of energy that is slowly consumed until nothing is left, as in the case of a candle or of a fire. Indeed, burned-out individuals often describe themselves spontaneously as empty batteries that can no longer be recharged. This analogy to an empty car battery reflects the gradual process in which more energy has been consumed than was produced over a long period of time. A car battery gets empty when more power is used up than is supplied by its dynamo. In other words, the dynamic equilibrium between demand and supply of energy is disturbed and as a result the individual's energy backup is gradually exhausted. That is exactly what happens in burnout: people give too much for too long and receive too little in return. Essentially, burnout is the long term result of an imbalance between investments and outcomes. Unfortunately, we have no single word which neatly catches this dynamic process by referring to the slow draining of energy from a battery. Instead, 'burnout' became the colloquial term for mental exhaustion, despite the false connotation of a fixed amount of energy that is drained to the dregs. Obviously, burnout is a very powerful metaphor because not only has it spread around very quickly in English speaking countries, but it is used almost universally. Although native equivalents exist in most Germanic languages, the English word 'burnout' is usually preferred. 1 This chapter starts out with a brief history of the burnout construct. Next, the broader social context of occupational stress and burnout is discussed. Evidence is presented for the increase of stress and burnout in today's society. In the concluding section several explanations are offered for this increase.