Professional burnout of programmers: Specificity of the phenomenon

Abstract

Today the problem of burnout is studied not only in the context of helping professions. It is also highly relevant to the programming profession. The relevance is evident due to so-cial inquiry for the investigation of burnout among programmers. The aim of the research is to discover the specificity of professional burnout among pro-grammers. To measure the level of professional burnout we used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) questionnaire by C. Maslach and S.E. Jackson adopted by N.E. Vodopyanova and E.S. Starchenkova. The version of the questionnaire by N.E. Vodopyanova and E.S. Starchenkova for engineers and technicians was used. The electronic data processing was carried out with the help of SPSS 8.0 software. As a method of statistical information pro-cessing we used Correlation analysis, and the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient as a method of determining correlation. The research revealed that there is a high level of burnout among programmers as a pro-fessional group. The main influence on the integral index of burnout among programmers is made by the parameter of personal accomplishment reduction when negative self-evaluation of personal competence and productivity increases, and, on the contrary, professional motiva-tion and satisfaction with the professional self-realization decreases. However, in helping professions the burnout is mainly caused by emotional exhaustion associated with the de-crease of emotional tone, high mental exhaustion and affective lability, loss of the interest and positivity toward others, and the feeling of overwork and dissatisfaction with life on the whole. There is also no connection of professional burnout of programmers with their age or work experience. Summarizing the results of the research, we can state that the hypothesis about some specificity of the burnout phenomenon among programmers, compared to those of socio-economic professions, was generally confirmed. The results of the research can be used by personnel and management departments in order to work out recommendations for heads of the departments where programmers work, to develop preventive and remedial actions and in psychological counseling.