Stress & Burnout

By Rachel Scott

Burnout can be defined as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal skills that occurs in some people. This is a reaction to chronic emotional tension created from continuous contact with other human beings, in particular if they have problems or reasons of suffering. So it can be considered a type of occupational stress.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ALVIS International Editions
• Release date: Nov 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301275281

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Stress & Burnout

Rachel Scott

Copyright

Published by Editions ALVIS at Smashwords

© 2012 Alvis Ed

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CONTENTS

Introduction

From Stress to Burn-out

Pathological Framework

Phases of Disorder

The Symptoms

Subjective Variables

Environmental Factors

Management of the Disorder

Towards the Prevention

Short Test on Burn-out

Burn-out Potential Inventory

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

The burn-out syndrome is a collection of symptoms that can be insidious and little-known. They mark deeply the lives of all who find themselves working in a profession of help or in close contact with the audience: teachers, social workers, health workers, but also unsuspecting subjects such as call center operators, vendors, employees counter staff. It is used to define a state in which the worker loses all interest in his work, feels tired, cynical, indifferent and inadequate. This is a different problem than the classic depression or Mobbing. The burn-out syndrome is precise: it is the exhaustion progressive of energy and involvement in relation to own work: the onset of fatigue, cynicism, indifference, feelings of inadequacy and inability to work productively. In the words of the American psychologist Christina Maslach is a syndrome that indicates a mismatch between the nature of a person and the nature of his work, between what one is and what to do .The burn-out syndrome has been identified for decades, but it is still not recognized in the workplace, where workers are in daily contact with other people and take charge of their care, according to the different professions. There are opinions and misconceptions regarding this occupational disease: in fact, the general tendency is to overestimate the importance of the personal factors that may expose the individual to the risk of the disease, and at the same time to underestimate the importance of situational factors. The literature has rather a lot of room at the prospect that the burn-out is closely related to situational sources of chronic stress, excessive and prolonged to tensions in the workplace and interpersonal relationships. Undoubtedly, the personality factors become important because they define the way in which everyone interprets, analyzes and reacts to these situations, but I'm not the distinctive elements. The problem may be internal, that is, in people (who may have personality traits or expectations that are not suitable for work), or external, that is, in the work (which may be too heavy or poorly organized). Or, as is more often the case, the problem may lie in both the worker and the work environment. In any case, the burnout syndrome, as we will see in the following chapters, can have a profound impact on the working and personal lives of the subject and that is why it is necessary to recognize, prevent and treat it. Because of burnout people find it hard to work with costs very significant in terms of personal suffering, reduced productivity and absenteeism from work. So it is best for both individuals and society in general be aware of the existence of the risk burnout and implement everything that is useful to prevent its onset. It is often not easy to understand that the worker is at risk or is already in a state of burnout. For those who feel inadequate in the workplace can try to redouble its efforts to solve problems, so falling into a vicious circle that threatens their physical and mental health.

FROM STRESS TO BURN-OUT

Burnout is an exaggerated form of occupational stress. So if the stress of individuals in organizations derives from some malfunction of the system, then the burnout can be derived from it. Stress is