Burnout: 35 years of research and practice

TLDR

Burnout emerged during the late 20th‑century shift from industrial to service economies, reflecting widespread psychological pressures and an erosion of positive well‑being, and its definition varies across cultures, sometimes as a medical diagnosis and other times as a socially accepted label. The paper focuses on the career of the burnout concept itself, documenting how its meaning varies with context and user intent. The authors review the concept of burnout, tracing its historical development and contextual meanings.

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the career of the burnout concept itself, rather than reviewing research findings on burnout. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents an overview of the concept of burnout. Findings The roots of the burnout concept seem to be embedded within broad social, economic, and cultural developments that took place in the last quarter of the past century and signify the rapid and profound transformation from an industrial society into a service economy. This social transformation goes along with psychological pressures that may translate into burnout. After the turn of the century, burnout is increasingly considered as an erosion of a positive psychological state. Although burnout seems to be a global phenomenon, the meaning of the concept differs between countries. For instance, in some countries burnout is used as a medical diagnosis, whereas in other countries it is a non‐medical, socially accepted label that carries a minimum stigma in terms of a psychiatric diagnosis. Originality/value The paper documents that the exact meaning of the concept of burnout varies with its context and the intentions of those using the term.