From teachers to nurses, nerds to lawyers — people in demanding careers are susceptible to burnout. Whether you’re struggling to stay passionate about your teaching job or braving the stressful corridors of corporate America, you may one day find yourself worn down, drained of energy and spirit, feeling that you’re expending copious energy yet seeing little in return.
If you’ve experienced burnout, or perhaps know someone who is wrestling with this troubling affliction, you will find Jennifer Senior’s recent feature in New York Magazine tremendously interesting: Can’t Get No Satisfaction Senior’s article is a fascinating, in-depth look at burnout, it’s causes and potential cures.
“Like in Silicon Valley,” [Maslach] says. “It used to be the case that people would say, ‘You’re burned out? You don’t like the job? So quit. I don’t run a country club,’ ” says Maslach. “But what was happening was the best and the brightest wanted to opt out. They started saying, ‘I can’t do this; this is not a life.’ They’d go to the Midwest and start a pet-food store.” Maslach adds that when she did interviews at nasa, she noticed similar problems there. “So suddenly, these places were saying, ‘Whoa, what do we need to do to get these people?’ Getting the most out of people didn’t actually mean getting the best. That’s when there was a new wave of interest in burnout.”
Link: Can’t Get No Satisfaction (New York Magazine)
Books mentioned in the article:
* A Burn-Out Case
* Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement
* Burnout: The Cost of Caring
* Changing Rhythms of American Family Life
