Much of this issue of the Journal of Psychosomatic
Research is devoted to the topic of burnout, the affective
state of cognitive weariness, emotional exhaustion, and
physical fatigue (usually) associated with workplace stresses
(see review [1]). Over a prolonged period, stresses such as
work overload, inequity, uncertainty, and job insecurity inter
alia [2] are thought to lead to chronic depletion of the
cognitive, emotional, and physical resources, or of coping
resources such as vigor, emotional vitality, and cognitive
liveliness, eventually progressing to the weary state known
as burnout [3,4]. The major diagnostic instrument for
burnout, the Maslach Burnout Index (MBI) [5], has
conceptualized the state as having three dimensions:
emotional exhaustion (depletion of emotional resources),
depersonalization (detachment from others in the workplace,
interpersonal burnout), and reduced personal accomplishment
(feelings of decreased competence and productivity).