Fear and stress give rise to slavery. Absence of tangible reward (financial and psychological), nepotism, low salary, human rights violations, absence of perspectives of professional development, mental and physical stress cause Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (asthenia of exhaustion) and emotional burnout (Freudenberger, 1974). It's characteristic of "human-to human" professions. I face these problems in adult auditorium. Is it possible and how to ensure effectiveness of professional activity, to support a high level of functionality, to protect human health?
Dear Irina
I feel that those who enjoy their work are blessed people, even if they are in burn out stage to some extent. In fact, burn out in such cases has less debilitating impact than the cases of those who burn out without enjoying their work. Humans need rest and breaks intermittently so as to re-charge themselves. That is also the work that sleep does. Ideally, no one should be in burn out stage. But since the world has become chaotically competitive, people burn themselves for the sake of growth and survival in such an environment. Yet if they take moderate care of their health along with a reasonable degree of professional burn out that they enjoy, that could be an acceptable compromise.
Dear Irina,
IMHO
1. Approaching work with 'past repercussions and future expectations' in mind, creates stress.
2. Approaching work focusing only on the present task and its process liberates one from stress. Keeping neutral always, focussed on work tasks rather than their implications, is the ideal way of approaching work.
3. People who work for rewards are stressed. People who work for the sake of work itself progress in their work.
4. Also, choosing what you 'HAVE to do' over what you "WANT to do' is also beneficial for long term sustainability and balance..
Regards
Dear Irina,
I have many students and number of teaching hours. But I still do my research on learning to facilitate my students. I need to use half my weekends and holidays for my research and writing. It's very exhausting at times. Some good and encouraging friends have been helping me to get review articles. So I just manage to do some fine research without getting burnt out. Without these friends, I could be the next candidate to face burn out.
Dear Irina
I feel that those who enjoy their work are blessed people, even if they are in burn out stage to some extent. In fact, burn out in such cases has less debilitating impact than the cases of those who burn out without enjoying their work. Humans need rest and breaks intermittently so as to re-charge themselves. That is also the work that sleep does. Ideally, no one should be in burn out stage. But since the world has become chaotically competitive, people burn themselves for the sake of growth and survival in such an environment. Yet if they take moderate care of their health along with a reasonable degree of professional burn out that they enjoy, that could be an acceptable compromise.
Dear @Irina, the following related article by
Carol Borrill, Michael West, Jeremy Dawson: Aston Business School, Aston University.
David Shapiro, Anne Rees, Ann Richards: University of Leeds.
Simon Garrod, Jean Carletta: Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Angie Carter: University of Sheffield
deals with the challenges of organising health care in the modern United Kingdom context. There are continual improvements in medical technologies, greater levels
of knowledge and awareness amongst patient populations and increasing demands for the variety of sources of health care available within the NHS. See the whole article on the page:
http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/jeanc/DOH-glossy-brochure.pdf
Yes, Irina.Absence of tangible reward, nepotism, low salary, human rights violations, and stress can cause emotional burn-out.
from an industry point, the effects of burn-out is surely brings in
1. Non - committal attitudes & behavior
2. Delayed response to issues
3. Procrastination and willful insubordination etc., are some of the
psychological defense mechanism leading to reduced QWL
Burnout happens due to some weak links in the Occupation factors and Organizational parameters... Please see how Occupation and Organization facilitate QWL
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261295600_Linking_Occupation_Factors_-_Organization_Development_Interventions_-_with_Quality_of_Work_Life?ev=prf_pub
Data Linking Occupation Factors - Organization Development Interv...
Interesting and practical question. I concur with all the contributors. Especially, I endorse @Debi answer as my thoughts are bit similar to his views.
In my opinion, lucky is the one who has a job which is also her/his hobby. Therefore, such people would continue with dedication even if they are in burn out stage as argues @Debi. But such people are very rare, indeed.
Dear Pechonkina, This strikes me as an excellent question of very broad interest. Its an old saying, where I come from that "You can't fight city hall." (I am aware, of course, that people have taken to fighting "city hall," but this is properly a political task and phenomenon.) But as used, in every day life, the old saying often indicates wisdom connected with self-limitation and self-control. One might also say something like, "If you are going to fight, then select the fights very carefully."
From the professional perspective, it strikes me that it is important for people to realize the extend and degree of what one may come up against. As you say, it is the "human to human" professions which are chiefly affected by the phenomenon of excessive stress and burn out. Why? I think it plausible that in such fields it is harder to "keep your eye on the ball" (excuse the baseball metaphor, which means, something like keeping to the genuine task at hand). The prevalence of the human encounters can prove a distraction from the actual job at hand, strange as this may seem. The occasional and recurrent excesses, absurdities, irrelevancies and bandwagons of professional (and not-so-professional) philosophy (my own field) illustrate only too well the sort of human-to-human perturbations which can easily derail genuine inquiry. So, the lesson I'm inclined to take is that, in more or less Stoic fashion, we need to go back and forth from human engagement, and the problems of the public world, to the scholarly problems and problems of inquiry. There is no safety, from the problems you address, on either side alone. Its an experimental task, and there is no telling what can be achieved without giving it a try.
People may become slaves of their own talents, too; and it is a kind of refreshment and recreation (literally re-creation), to look more broadly. This, of course, is part of the traditional argument for broad liberal education. "Professionalism," in some of its guises at least, can hide many a self-serving, philistine (=anti-intellectual, destructive) vice. Young people in particular need to be aware of this kind of problem --and the prevalent forms of abuse connected with them.
H.G. Callaway
Dear Drossos, Its hard to disagree with what Mahfuz Judeh says, directly above.
"No remark without remarkability," or so they say. But I think of this as a normative injunction for discourse and discussion.
Did you have more in mind to say?
H.G. Callaway
@irina, very good question. What you describe is easilly observed every day in many working environments. And a biological damage to people is a real consequence. I konw a word which may describe the condition and this word is "mobbing". Despite this practice is prohibited by law, at least in my country, but in practice it is difficult to prove and, therefore, the victims are often defenseless. It 's sad, shameful and inhuman, but it is unfortunately the case. The fact that each of us has been able to develop defense mechanisms and find alternative forms of gratification is certainly comforting, but does not eliminate the problem.
Breathtaking discussion! Thank you a lot. I supposed that it wouldn't be the same answers.In his work "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions"Thomas Kuhn describes the mechanism of inhibition of different sciences and intelligent personalities. In other words, an intelligent personality can appear within the framework of "senescent paradigm". For ex., a human being takes another train. Surely, the speed of the train doesn't depend on one's personal abilities. The paradigm is a strategic mistake, that is the analogue to the rail-car (which is nonspiritual and indifferent to the kind of personality, when it carries one).It doesn't matter for the rail-car ,that it carries foolish, with average abilities or intelligent people The human being turned out to be in the "senescent paradigm" and one's result doesn't depend on one's personal abilities and self-importance. To S.Kierkegaard, "The house is just he wanted, but the street is not that"
Great discussion. Muhammad has touched on how burnout affects the individual and this is important because burnout is related to
a) the individuals tolerance and capacity to deal with the related stressors along with
b) the context
I am sure we have all witnessed the marked variability that exists between individuals to tolerate the stresses and demands of the modern workplace. Some people seem to thrive in environments that many others would find far too demanding (?astronauts on the Intenational Space Station as an example).
Plus it does seem that it there is a well known phenomenon of remarkable developments and or innovations occurring as a result of crises (so on occasions people can rise to the demands of an extraordinary set of circumstances).
The World Factbook- Death rate in the world. There are a lot of reasons, one of them there are heart diseases.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2066rank.html
Nations in transit 2014. It gives food for thought, too.http://www.freedomhouse.org/article/nations-transit-2014-russia-leads-eurasias-break-democratic-world
World Data Table. http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/en/cvd_atlas_29_world_data_table.pdf?ua=1
I went through the stage of burn out when I was working for IBM . The job demand and the family commitment has put me in a very stressful situation , this is because there are no much good position in my country after the dot.com fever on year 2001-2002 . Later , I lost my job in IBM due to the bad business situation ,and a drop in demand of business . I have forced to take up the earlier retirement plan ,and look for job else where . End of the day , this bad experience force me to continue my research on Psychological contract violation ,and the study of social-economy theory !
Dear Professor, I take it as part of my life long learning process , later , when I completed my Phd , I will apply my APA certification ,and become a HR consultant ,and specialized in Organisational development advisory job I do believe OD will keep going on every where , due to the cynical business cycle ! and people need help ... psychologically .....how to over come and take precaution over it !
"professional" Burn out is a stage which is psychological in nature and complete on perceived withering of a person with helplessness on an unaccepted profession for existence......It depends upon the necessity, wherein
1. the LACK of an alternate employment or employable skill hampers the individual.......
2. The person is losing age or resources to time to pick up the requisite skills...
Dear Aledeh, et al.
I have been following this thread at something of a distance, since my early note, and I find it interesting how it seems to have come out here. Certainly, there is little room to doubt that everyone has to be able to relax and cultivate those "inner lights" as you say. However, our inner lights are, as is well known, somewhat fallible, and in consequence we have to check with the outer world, too. Retreat into a purely inner world is not the solution it may sometimes seem to be. Grace may come from within, but it also comes from without--and there is some point in insisting on that. In a way, its a cognitive point. We have to check our theories against the facts, and we also have to check our attitudes and purposes against the possibilities. It is a matter of going back and forth: "Society and solitude," if you like.
Any excessively passive attitutde may simply encourage the sources of social problems. After all, few think that our present times are quite normal, acceptable, and unproblematic, since we are face, all around the world, with growing social inequalities -- which tend to have an anti-democratic effect. So, the point might be put by the old saying that "freedom isn't free." If we want a world with less fear and stress, then we may have to work very hard for it. One answer, of course, is to stay rooted in one's own place, society and background. Narrow professionalism can make that more difficullt, since it encourages a great deal of moving about --and consequent dependence upon the good will of strangers.
So, do "gracefully detour" from time to time; but not for too long, since that is to allow outer pressures too full a scope in defining directions and purposes. We all recognize cycles of effort and relaxation in life, and the key to many things is to be able to regulate this sort of thing--avoiding over-engagement, but also refraing from simple retreat and undue deference. People who tell us that everything must go faster and faster, and be ever more competitive, are no friends of self-control and self-discipline. That we hear these voices so frequently is truly a sign of the times.
Perhaps these kinds of points have already become clear in the exchanges, but I thought to put in my 2 cents.
H.G. Callaway
Dear All,
According to Indian Philosophy, burnout occurs to a particular class of people only. There are basically three. One class underworks, the second class overworks, and the third strikes the right balance between work and rest. Burnout occurs to the one who overworks, the second class. Evolution of Consciousness occurs from 1 to 2 to 3. Its a learning process.
Regards
Seeing this as an option to cope professional burnout (psychological defense / depersonalization) from affecting quality of life....
To Aristotle,"a human being is a social and psychological creature", that's why only the fear of displacement from society is at the bottom of all inferiority complexes. To Epictetus, "There is only one way towards happiness- to stop being anxious about the things, which aren't dependent on your will (under your control). To dear Kamal,dear Francesca, dear H.G.Callaway, dear Muhammad, dear Raveendra, dear Asmat, dear Krishnan and dear All, especially it's important in the conditions of free ('freedom isn't free') competition- that is war of all is against all. There are a lot of "games". It's characteristic of displacement a creative personal potential from the livingplace by means of "amputation of personality" Eric Berne "Games People Play", 1964. For ex, "The game in sandy pies"- a wish to humiliate a human being with the aim of self-affirmation. It's a way to rise oneself through condemnation of imaginary-real ignominy. (Ch. Dickens "Great Expectations": a girl asked a boy to make sandy pies for her and, pointing out his dirty hands, said to him "Ugh, how disgusting!". Or "Fox and grape"- a wish to damp sb's ardor by means of critical comments. It's so called the position of "convinced mediocrity". the principle is "Cut sb's claws, so that not to be cut" "Try to keep a low profile!
Dear All,
Continuing my post from earlier, the three classes of men who UNDERWORK, OVER WORK and BALANCED are described in Indian philosophy as follows:
1. UNDERWORK: Ill balanced, uncomprehending, rustic, mischievous, insulting, lazy, despondent and going on thinking without acting indicate a person of INERTIA.
2. OVERWORK: One who is inclined to do a particular thing, does it induced by intended result, possessive, violent,shabby and easily affected by success or failure is of HYPERACTIVE nature.
3. BALANCED: One who is not attached to the act or its result, one who knows that he is not the cause of the deed, one who minds not success or failure, but yet does the work with self-composure and sustained interest is of a BALANCED nature.
Going through the above, it is easy to see why the 2nd class is affected by burnout. The 'easily affected by success or failure' and too much emphasis on results instead of the very process of the work itself, makes him/her a self created victim of burnout.
In the end, the message is simple. Dont dwell on the past, dont expect anything in the future, just focus on the work that NEEDS to be done in the present without an eye on the results(because good results INEVITABLY follow a job well done with 100% focus), makes one free of stress and later, burnout. This is the ideal balanced approach, which is often unattractive to those who underwork and those who overwork.
Regards
Dear Raveendra, I like your theory of a balanced person as an ideal.Surely, it's wise. But how can we be balanced if we must do work "here and now"?You see, we have lost 10 (!) colleagues last time- 48-55 years old (not very old). A lot of them had families, they were friendly, creative, kind.They were very hard-working and had no chronic diseases. The diagnoses were Cancer, heart diseases. One of them was a broad-hearted and merry man with 5 children (50 years old).8 were women.
Doctor Chartrand, CFS https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264556639_ChronicFatigueSyndrome2014inpdf?pli=1&loginT=Sbo6r7g-SvHUbrV_xSrHstsUAw6z44JpPwS_i3jj7s8*&uid=c359aa0a-87e0-4562-bb3e-ce181d0d6888&cp=re289_x_p33&ch=reg
Data ChronicFatigueSyndrome2014inpdf
Communication practices contribute to, buffer and counteract burnout., providing an environment to be engaged, passionate, and confidant —the opposite for burn out.
Dear H.G. Callaway,
when I have something in my mind I sy it! When I do not have to sy something more than that of Mahfuz, I think it is right to agree and not say anything "smart" like your comment. Since you are curious to see if I have something to say you can check my answers. To close this comment I would like to say that you are not at all polite!!
Dear Drossos,
Good for you. I admire forthrightness. I am not aware that I said anything to the contrary. But with so many questions and participants, confusions may, of course, arise. I assure you of my high regard for your contributions.
H.G. Callaway
Dear Callaway,
Thanks for you appreciation of my work. What was needed was some acceptable mode of communication. No need for statements that does not help this communications!
Unrecognized activities are also causes of Burnout...The time available at disposal for work cannot be complete with VALUE ADDITIONS without various UNNOTICED ACTIVITIES which are to be a preparatory and POST CLEANSING ACTIVITIES in all professional spheres...
Dear Muhammad,dear Krishnan, dear Costas, dear Callaway, dear all, thank you a lot for your informative and unique contributions. I understand, it's a problem of our digital age.Clifford Nass (unfortunately, he died in 55) is about multitasking, Standford University.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/interviews/nass.html
The process of Burnout also passes out from
- Family to Work
- Society to Work
Some Social practices such as Bride price / Groom Price for Marriage is one of the pressure drivers to the young adults.... In india we call the Bride price as DOWRY...
Unsatisfied needs, that is possible to be taken care by the work payments or deliverable, affects the individual towards a point of No-return and hence causes the burnout.
Dear all, I found a very valuable information."Life is somato-psycho-spiritual entity"Grandhidas Sonajiras Lavekarhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/257137170_Glimpse_of_Mental_Disorders_and_Treatment_in_Ayurveda
Article Glimpse of Mental Disorders and Treatment in Ayurveda
Professional quality of life is part of, but goes beyond, simply recruiting and retaining workers. Supporting the positive effects of care giving and preventing the negative effects such as burnout or symptoms of disorders, such as depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are essential aspects of recruiting and retaining workers as well as protecting workers and their ability to provide quality care - Recruitment and Retention Of A Quality Health Workforce in Rural Areas
A series of Policy Papers on The Rural Health Careers Pipeline
Number 14: Issues of Preserving Rural Professional Quality of Life
I suggest a reading of Walker, G. (1986) Burnout: From Metaphor to Ideology The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, Vol. 11, No. 1(Spring, 1986), pp. 35-55, [available free through JSTOR, I believe] which explores the way the concept of burnout was developed, and has been sustained in professional practice. Published 28 years ago, I have not seen it cited often in the field, possibly as it highlights (a) the situations in which professionals work; (b) professionals' roles in society; and (c) how the concept serves professionals, personally and socially, and their employers.
Dear Irina,
Excuse me for replying late.
"This is the ideal balanced approach, which is often unattractive to those who underwork and those who overwork".
In the heat of the battle, the warrior is sorrounded by stress all around and therefore the succesful warrior is he who 1. is not influenced by the adverse effects of the environment(dangers),2. acts without regard for result(future consequences of his actions).
Amidst all the bodies piling up(as in your office), the balanced warrior emerges victorious who keeps on doing his duty without being influenced by his environment and who acts justly without caring for the results(keep on fighting).
Any other course of action, like mourning for the dead, or exulting for succesfully acting will bring only disaster. IMHO, Balance is the key.
Regards
I have felt "burnt out" myself. But I found the solution is to keep loving your work. Be always there, do Whwt you love to do. It is to be hoped that eventually those who bunr you out will loose their poewrs or even conclude they should change themselves in this respect.
As for me, I try to keep from exerting any "burning out" activities against no one.
I think professional burnout is primarily a mechanism of psychological defense. In a chronic situation, it leads to depersonalization. I agree with Victor Araujo, but sometimes, in the academic milieu, for some unavoidable reason, we've got to do some work we don't like (sometimes, work we finish to hate).
Professional burnout leads towards stress and depersonalization which affects life quality too. sometimes, academically speaking,the academicians due to burnout feel totally lost.
Movement Deprivation
Rapid advances in technology and transportation have resulted in a physically sedentary society with high frequency, duration and intensity of sensory stimuli.
http://www.sd23.bc.ca/ProgramsServices/earlylearning/parentinformation/Documents/Impact%20of%20Technology%20on%20Young%20Children's%20Development.pdf
Dear Dr Irina
The Relation between Defense Mechanisms and Job
Burnout among Iran AIR Staff
the details in the following paper
International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 2, No. 3, May 2012
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271295374_The_Relation_between_Defense_Mechanisms_and_Job_Burnout_among_Iran_AIR_Staff
Article The Relation between Defense Mechanisms and Job Burnout amon...
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