- Do you easily get tired?
- What do you do when you get tired?
- burnout /BURN-out/
- professor /pruh-FES-er/
- negative /NEG-uh-tiv/
- experience /ik-SPEER-ee-uhns/
- disconnected /dis-kuh-NEK-tid/
[noun] – extreme tiredness or a feeling of not being able to work any more, caused by working too hard
Many students feel burnout after finishing their tests.
[noun] – a teacher of high rank in an American university or college
Sir Smith is a new professor at our university.
[adjective] – not expecting good things, or likely to consider only the bad side of a situation
She always has negative thoughts. I think she needs a break.
[verb] – if you experience something, it happens to you, or you feel it
Adam’s experiencing computer problems right now.
[adjective] – not fitting well together or understanding each other
Ash feels so disconnected from his childhood friend now.
A psychology professor at the University of California, Christina Maslach, created the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in 1981. This test shows the levels of burnout based on these standards: lack of motivation, negative thoughts, and reduced ability. If someone gets negative scores on all three, he or she officially has burnout. Michael Leiter, Maslach’s co-author of “The Truth About Burnout,” said that we think burnout and being tired is the same, and that’s wrong. According to the MBI results, the largest group of people experiencing burnout are those who are no longer interested in their work. For example, some people go to work because they have bills to pay, not because they are enjoying what they do.
But this doesn’t mean burnout has only two results. Maslach and Leiter revealed three more categories in their latest research: tired, not effective, and disconnected. People who fall in any of the three categories don’t have burnout yet, but are already there. The test also showed that burnout is not always a personal issue. Sometimes, their environment causes them to feel burnout. This is why MBI and other burnout-related tests are important: it’s a way for us to know how to prevent burnout and get rid of it. Do you want to take the test?
True or False:
- Professor Maslach created the MBI in 1981.
- There are three standards to measure burnout in the MBI.
- Michael Leiter is the main author of “The Truth About Burnout.”
- Maslach and Leiter revealed three more categories in the MBI.
- A person’s environment does not cause burnout.
Fill in the blanks:
- Living away from his family made him feel so _______.
- Lara is _______ internet connection problems.
- Our math _______ is very kind to us.
- We often say we have _______ when we’re tired.
- Stop being so _______. Think of happy thoughts!