ABSTRACT
Professional burnout has been widely discussed in the literature since the late 1970s. It characterizes primarily people working in human-service professions, particularly those involved in the helping professions, such as psychology, medicine, teaching, social work, and to a certain extent, law. Burnout reduces professionals’ natural inclination to help others, and hurts professionals and their families and, naturally, those whom they are helping (Ashforth & Lee, 1997). Burnout also jeopardizes opportunities for a productive career, and greatly reduces the effectiveness of organizations in which professionals work (Maslach & Leiter, 1997).
