ABSTRACT
This chapter details how the term ‘burnout’, initially referring to those in human resource occupations (mostly the “caring professions”), was coined in 1974 by Herbert Freudenberger to describe a psychological state. It then details how, in 1981, Christina Maslach and Susan Jackson developed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a self-report measure used widely and derived from human services employees reporting the emotional toll of their jobs. Currently, burnout is not listed as a formal diagnosis, but as a workplace phenomenon by the WHO. However, the term has been extended to describe a syndrome observed more widely––people in the community, isolated housewives and mothers and caregivers to the disabled and elderly, who can all develop ‘carer burnout’. It is viewed as a product of relentless and often unappreciated demands on the individual. Our ‘24/7’ online presence and the pressures of new technologies have contributed to its increased risk. The chapter also considers cost impact with, in 2016, the World Economic Forum estimating the cost of burnout to the global economy to be £255 billion (approximately US$332 billion) per year. Costs accrue from ‘absenteeism’ (being unable to turn up to work), ‘presenteeism’ (turning up at work but being unable to function adequately) and premature retirement, as well as the indirect costs of treating mental and physical health impacts.
