The experience of burnout among psychologists in South Africa.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
Psychologists are at risk for burnout due to the emotional challenges and structural difficulties
encountered in their daily work. Given the high prevalence of burnout amongst psychologists,
a considerable amount of research has been conducted on the effects, risks and management of
burnout. However, despite the proliferation of burnout literature, the majority of research has
been restricted to quantitative analysis, with a paucity of studies exploring the phenomenon
from a qualitative standpoint. More so, even fewer studies have explored the lived experience
of burnout amongst psychologists. Thus, this study explored the experience of burnout among
psychologists using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Six psychologists working in
South Africa were purposively sampled and interviewed in order to collect rich, detailed
accounts of their experience and perceptions of burnout. Five super-ordinate themes emerged
from the data: (1) description of burnout reflects inner experience; (2) idealised expectations
of self; (3) effects are multi-faceted; (4) risky business (5) the self-protection: a lofty goal.
Findings from the study highlighted the uniqueness of individual experience even within
commonalities. Findings demonstrated that the impact of burnout is far reaching and affects
the psychologist in multiple areas of functioning. Findings also suggested that burnout can be
self-sustaining and various processes such as self-stigma and stigma from colleagues intersect
to create barriers to protection and effective resolution of burnout. Most notably, research
findings suggested that psychologists’ self-concept may be impacted negatively by burnout
which, in turn, may cause psychologists to work harder and invest more emotionally, possibly
giving rise to a self-perpetuating cycle of burnout. These findings have implications for the
training, supervision and support of psychologists in practice in addition to the prevention and
management of burnout.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.