Burnout in Nonprofit Organizations

Synonyms

Debilitation; Collapse; Exhaustion; Fatigue

Definition

Exhaustion or loss of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.

Introduction

Burnout or what is sometimes called “burnout syndrome” involves various forms of withdrawal which can be either physical, psychological, or emotional from normal activities that were previously enjoyable because of the experience of stress. It is linked to ongoing exposure to tensions related to work. Symptoms include not only a sense of alienation but also increasing levels of disengagement and cynicism, loss of meaning or exhaustion in workers, which increase as a result of the buildup of stress. Although the problem is related, it is slightly differentiated from stress, because it involves not just reduced energy but also a lost sense of ideals and hope.

The term first developed from efforts to define the listless, empty, worn-out feelings identified in those in helping professions and...