Managers’ and teachers’ burnout according to Stevan Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory

Authors:

• Elżbieta Lisowska,
• Anna Hełka

Abstract

Burnout, as an important social and individual problem, is a distinguished area of research and the long list of symptoms shows it as a complex and extensive phenomenon. A substantial cause of burnout is resources loss. According to Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources Theory burnout is defined as a process of expenditure, loss and depletion developing gradually in time and occurring when the resources cannot be replenished as cognitive, emotional and physical abilities. This is a spiral of losses, in which the burnout people are "caught", because their resources are endangered, lost or not sufficiently replenished and their additional personal resources (perseverance, social abilities) need to be expended to deal with stress. This research concerns two professions: teachers and managers. The results indicate explicitly the significant role of resources in this syndrome’s appearance. The resources loss was definitely higher and resources replenishment less in burnout people than in non-burnout.