Stages of burnout

Burnout is considered to be a multidimensional phenomenon that consists of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal fulfillment.
A good understanding of the development of these stages is a prerequisite for developing effective intervention strategies.
Accumulated empirical evidence suggests that burnout is a process that develops gradually over time. Below are the stages of burnout, some of their characteristic and a characterization of what the individual feels in each stage.

1. The first stage is characterized by a disagreement between demands and resources that leads to feelings of emotional distress. In this stage the individual feels impoverished with work, morning tired, exhausted, frustrated, and it comes difficult to work with people.

2. In the second stage the person develops a set of negative attitudes and behaviors such as the tendency to treat clients in a detached and mechanical way or the cynical concern to meet their own needs. The person becomes professional insensitive , treats people as objects , do not care what happens to them and may feel that others blame him for their problems. This stage is called depersonalization.

3. The third stage comprises a decrease in worker's efficiency to achieve his goals. Thus a decrease of personal fulfillment and feelings of incompetence and self-bending appears. The person reaching this stage can not effectively cope with problems, considers himself not to have a good influence on others, can not understand and pity others,and doesn't consider his work attractive anymore.