| Burnout is often described as a persistent, negative, work-related state of mind in normal individuals, primarily characterised by feelings of (emotional) exhaustion and cynicism. Recently though, there has been a shift in research towards a possible opposite pole of burnout, called engagement. This is consistent with the emerging trend towards positive psychology , which focuses on human strengths, well-being and optimal functioning rather than on weaknesses and malfunctioning. Engagement can be described as a persistent, positive affective-motivational state of fullfillment, characterised by vigor (energy), dedication and absorption. The aim of this research project is to answer the question whether or not engagement and burnout are each other s opposite poles. A model is tested that predicts that engagement and burnout are related differently to physiological parameters (eg. cortisol, catecholamines, bloodpressure and heartrate), person characteristics (eg. neuroticism and extraversion) and job characteristics (eg. job demands and job resources). The main study is a longitudinal field-research. Differences in causes and outcomes of burnout and engagement will be investigated. Two processes are expected to play a certain role: An exhaustion process in which high job demands lead to burnout, and a motivational process in which job resources lead to engagement. This process is supposed to enlarge the job-involvement, which results in less sickness-absenteeism. |
