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This blog is the after effect of a comment I received on my previous blog on the same topic. I did not publish the comment because it has a link leading to the commenter’s site. We can not publish a comment partly. So, I am pasting the comment here, after removing the link:
“Burnout is a kind of job depression. It not caused by demanding work - but demanding work where you feel you can not win and you feel powerless to change it.
The way to overcome or prevent burnout is to develop personal power - a feeling of I-Can-Do. But the first step is to get a clear picture of the factors in your job that are causing you to feel powerless.
To find out what burnout is and what to do about it, see: (here comes the link)”
First of all thanks for the comment….that too from a world known Psychologist/author. Personally, I don’t think the comment was posted by Dr. Beverly Potter but by her webmaster/staff who are involved in giving publicity to her books and activities.
I did some more reading on this topic to check whether I got it right or not. Also, I wanted to make sure that I am not misleading my blog readers.
The definition for burnout as per Merriam Webster dictionary is as follows:
"exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration”
Then I checked out with Mayo Clinic, world’s one of the biggest research body to see what they have to say on this subject . It showed that I am in the right track (stuffs are copy righted so, those who are interested, please visit the site and read).
It was Dr. Herbert Freudenberger who introduced the concept ‘burnout’ in 1974, for the first time. He did a comprehensive study on burnout and even today, his book (Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement) serve as a must reference on this subject. He is the authority in this topic and what did he say?
A compulsion to prove oneself
Working harder
Neglecting one's own needs
Displacement of conflicts (the person does not realize the root cause of the distress)
Revision of values (friends or hobbies are completely dismissed)
Denial of emerging problems (cynicism and aggression become apparent)
Withdrawal (reducing social contacts to a minimum, becoming walled off; alcohol or other substance abuse may occur)
Behavioral changes become obvious to others
Inner emptiness
Depression
According to him these are all phases of burnout. And as we can see, depression is ONLY one among them. There was a study on (11,500 parish ministers) stress and burnout which said three out of four parish ministers suffer from it(‘Stress and Burnout in Ministry’ by Rowland Croucher). And another interesting study says clergies deal with stress better than other professionals. How can we say those three out of four were suffering from depression? I don’t think those Pastors thought “no! I can’t do this” either.
Where did I say demanding work alone is the cause? And where did I say depression is NOT a cause? 'Feeling powerless' could be just another reason, since it being a negative thought pattern.
If I am not wrong, your intention was not to educate me but to divert my readers to your site and sell your book. I visited your site to gather more information and educate me. but what you ask is to buy your book paying $10 for a PDF version ($14.95 + postage for paperback). If I ever get a chance to read your book, I will definitely do that.
Anyway, thanks a lot for the comment and the extra/additional information.
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1 comment:
I did, indeed, post the comment and not any web master. Freudenberger's high cost of high achievement is the typical - lower-your-expectations and accept-your-place-in-life approach. Also known as "blame the victim" view.
Interesting that you must diminish my comments. Just about anything that you can find in internet research has more weight than what I wrote. This is probably due to your 1) assumption that no one of substance would comment on your site, i.e, low self esteem, and 2) your entrenched negativity.
With regard to my motive being the lowly "to sell books". Hummmm, not only do you degrade any work associated with income, but you reduce me to be motivated by getting 50 cent or perhaps a dollar - the general amount that filters down to an author. Any more noble motivate - such as being a freelance educator.
My what a dreary reality your create in your world - this cognitive style creates a vulnerability to burnout.
I am, indeed, an authority on job burnout and for a very long time. I appeared in many media interviews with Dr. Freudenberger. And I am an expert in motivation - "social learning", behavior mod etc.
My site is packed with excellent content - and, of all free - but you, rather selfishly, with hold the site address. Oh well . . . I will be gone from your reality in a few moments, but you are trapped within it - in its toxins.
For your curiosity, I learned of your posting from Google Alerts.
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