Burnout: An Overview of 25 Years of Research and Theorizing

Abstract

Burnout is a metaphor that is commonly used to describe a state or process of mental exhaustion, similar to the smothering of a fire or the extinguishing of a candle. The dictionary defines “to burn out” as “to fail, wear out, or become exhausted by making excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources”. As such, the experience of burnout is likely to be universal and of all times. Probably the earliest written example in which “to burn out” is related to exhaustion comes from Shakespeare, who wrote in 1599 in The Passionate Pilgrim: “She burnt with loue, as straw with fire flameth. She burnt out loue, as soon as straw out burneth” (cited in Enzmann & Kleiber, 1989, p. 18). More recently, but long before the “discovery” of burnout in professional settings, individuals who suffer from it have been portrayed in great detail. For instance, Graham Greene’s 1960 novel A Burnt-Out Case tells the sad story of the world famous architect Querry, a gloomy, spiritually tormented, cynical and disillusioned character. The most illustrious example of burnout avant-la-lettre is the case-study of a psychiatric nurse, Miss Jones, published by Schwartz & Will (1953).

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