Occupational burnout

BOUVET Océane,  DRACON Nadège et WOLFF Manon

Occupational burnout can be explained as an exhaustion of physical, emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration in work field. As a result of increasing level stress and poor workplace quality of life, occupational burnout spread wider and wider amongst at work. In order to fully understand the concept of burnout, we will firstly talk about stress in general.

Stress can be categorized in three phases : Acute stress, post-traumatic stress and chronic stress (or burnout). The first stress can be defined as an immediate response to a specific and traumatic event for instance an accident or a physical agression. As said earlier, acute stress is immediate and disapear in a short period of time after the arousal state.

The post traumatic stress is the result of a delayed response to a life-threating event, the onset period is usually ranges from immediate reaction to 6 months following the events. Chronic stress is characterized by regularly and automatic stress response which last in time. Burnout is refered as a « chronic stress » because it results from a long term disequilibrium between work demands and work ressources which develop gradually.

Burnout notion was firstly studied in work field. This notion refered to physic and emotional tiredness, we know that this phenomenom can also be appeared in other field like sport for example. Burnout recognition is increasing this past few years as it were usually misunderstand with « an usual fatigue », « a lack of sleep » or even a « normal state caused by work ». No matter the physical or emotional effort engaged in the situation, the charge would be too heavy to carry.

Burnout develops gradually in three different stages process. Those symptoms can be quite difficult to identify as they may be designate as a « normal » period of tiredness :

• The first stage emotional exhaustion refers to a feeling to be overwhelmed emotionnaly and physical echaustion which induce chronic period of tiredness.
• The second stage cynicism or depersonalization of relationship can be explained as an attempt to distance one’s emotionally from his job and colleagues.
• The final stage, known as decrease of personal accomplishment. It refers to the fact that one’s evaluate his work and himself negatively and feel displeased with his work accomplisment.

 

Occupational burnout is an important issue that must be considered and known in workplace. Trying to improve the quality of life at work is of course, part of the solution. We also have to understand that working is not inevitably a fataly. It doesn’t have to be boring, stressfull or even phisically dangerous. As work is important part of our life, it is for us a necessity to make it count. As Durkeim described it, we are defined by the group we are part of. By this mean work is a part of our personnal development, self esteem, personnal project or even social identity.

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Bibliography :

Didier T. “Organisational Stress an Burnout” (149-152), in Laurence MASSE et al. (eds), Anglais pour psychologues, Paris : Dunod, 2011