Toward a Theory of Burnout

The burnout phenomenon, while widely acknowledged as an important issue among people-helping professionals, has to date been treated chiefly in anecdotal or descriptive reports that lack both precise theoretical foundations and substantial empirical support. Einsiedel and Tully criticize burnout research, maintaining that conceptual and operational definitions vary widely and that little effort has been expended to draw on more established literature to explain burnout. This paper proposes a new model of burnout, largely based on the work of Bandura. Burnout is defined as a state in which individuals expect little reward and considerable punishment from work because of a lack of valued reinforcement, controllable outcomes, or personal competence. The burnout literature is briefly reviewed and grouped according to the categories of the proposed burnout model.