People who work in the helping profession (human
services) are more likely to burnout than in any other profession. This is due
to working in an environment that impacts the emotions, low pay, inadequate
funding, little support, and a lack of criteria for measuring one’s
accomplishments.
According to Edelwich and Brodsky, 1980, there are
five stages of burning out:
1. Enthusiasm.
This is when a person is new to the profession and will often display a high
level of enthusiasm. They are ready to take on the world, thus having an
unrealistic expectation of the job.
2. Stagnation.
Once a person has been on the job for a while, the job is no longer exciting.
The person may now turn to meeting their own personal needs.
3. Frustration.
During this stage, people begin to experience the limitations of the job. For
example, there may not be enough resources to perform the job effectively or
there may be a lack of support from both supervisors and co-workers. At this
stage, emotional, physical and behavior problems begin to occur.
4. Apathy.
It is at this stage when a person is chronically frustrated on the job. They
may begin to complain on a regular basis and do as little as possible to
protect their own emotional state. For some people, the paycheck becomes more
important than the care of the people they serve.
5. Intervention.
This stage breaks the cycle. People may decide to make changes in their
personal and professional life. Perhaps seeking a higher paying job or going
back to school. After this stage, one can return to any of the four previous
stages.
It is important however to recognize burnout, the
stages so that you can take immediate action.
No comments:
Post a Comment