The Truth About Burnout (eBook)

CHRISTINA MASLACH is professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the creator of the widely used psychological test instrument The Maslach Burnout Inventory and the author of Burnout: The Cost of Caring (1982). MICHAEL P. LEITER is dean of the faculty of pure and applied science and professor of psychology at Acadia University, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is also director of the Centre for Organizational Research & Development.

Preface ix

1. The Current Crisis 1

2. How You Experience Burnout 23

3. What Causes Burnout? 38

4. Why Do Anything About Burnout? 61

5. Crisis Intervention to Stop Burnout 79

6. Preventing Burnout and Building Engagement 102

7. Promoting Human Values 128

Afterword: Moving Toward a Better Future 148

Appendix: Assessing the Work Environment 155

Endnotes 171

For Further Reading 173

About the Author 177

Index 179

"As the original researcher who first identified and described
burnout, Dr. Maslach now digs to the roots of alienation and loss
of community in many large organizations." (T. George Harris,
editor, Spirituality & Health)

"Full of important lessons for those who experience burnout and
those who are in positions to prevent it from occurring...it's a
road map to the design of workplaces that will restore the vitality
and the promise of fulfilling work." (Wayne Cascio, professor of
management, College of Business and Administration, University of
Colorado at Denver)

"The proposed solutions reach well beyond simple-minded, individual
stress management to the core challenge of redesigning the work
environment." (David S. Sobel, director of patient education and
health promotion, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program)

"A welcome corrective to much of the writing I see on burnout. The
authors show convincingly that the causes and solutions?are to be
found primarily in the organization, not the individual." (Cary
Cherniss, professor of applied psychology, Rutgers
University)

"RecommAnded for business collections." (Steven Silkunas, DCO
SEPTA/FRONTIER, Library Journal)