Abstract
Maslach, Schaufeli, and Leiter define burnout as a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors at work, structured by three dimensions — exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy — and argue it must be read inside the organisational context of a person’s relationship to their work, with engagement as its positive antithesis.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422. DOI
Key findings
- Three dimensions — Burnout = exhaustion + cynicism (depersonalisation) + inefficacy, not fatigue alone.
- Context, not just person — The syndrome sits in the relationship between worker and job, shaped by workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values.
- Engagement as antithesis — Framing the positive pole (energy, involvement, efficacy) opens intervention targets.
When to open this
Open alongside Burnout and Burnout pattern when you need the validated structure of burnout rather than the colloquial sense of “tired.”