In the burnout context, depersonalization means becoming cynical, distant, or dehumanized toward the people one works with (clients, patients, colleagues). In caring professions, it is called "compassion fatigue" when it manifests as insensitivity to others' suffering. It is not the same as the clinical depersonalization in DSM-5 (which is a dissociative symptom), although they share the name.
Concept origin
Maslach C, Schaufeli WB, Leiter MP. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397-422. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
How it manifests
- ▸ Cynical or dismissive thoughts toward clients or colleagues
- ▸ Treating people as numbers or cases
- ▸ Insensitivity to others' suffering that previously moved one
Therapeutic approach
Intervention seeks to recover connection with the purpose of work and professional values. CFT (Compassion-Focused Therapy, Gilbert) works on reactivating the soothing/contentment system that has been disconnected by sustained exhaustion.
Related concepts
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