The third dimension of burnout is the feeling that work has no meaning or of not being competent at what one does. The person feels ineffective, fails at tasks they previously did well, and doubts their professional value. It is not a passing low: it is a sustained erosion of self-efficacy.
Concept origin
Maslach C, Leiter MP. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103-111. doi:10.1002/wps.20311
How it manifests
- ▸ Failure at tasks previously done well
- ▸ Persistent doubt of one's professional value
- ▸ Sustained erosion of self-efficacy
Therapeutic approach
It is reversible with appropriate intervention: task restructuring, support, and sometimes therapy. CBT works on negative schemas about professional competence and builds evidence of real achievements to correct the deteriorated self-perception.
Related concepts
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