The Phenomenon of Management “Burnout” (Case Study): Psychoanalytic Approach to Risk Factors

Abstract This study refers to top and middle managers’ emotional problem - burnout. The relevance of this problem research is connected with business demands as well as with high interest of managers feeling themselves burnt out at the zenith of their careers. In a psychoanalytic way we analyze organizational and personal risk factors of burnout genesis, their influence on managers of one company as well as possible measures against burnout. The objective is to examine the connection of managers’ burnout with their personality types affected by organizational risk factors of burnout emergence. Theoretical part tasks are burnout phenomenon analysis, examination of psychoanalytic approach to organizational and personal risk factors of burnout emergence i.a. research on personality type role in classification applied in psychoanalytic diagnosis (McWilliams approach). We also analyze psychoanalytic approaches to burnout risk decrease. In empirical part using observation, interview, Maslach Burnout Inventory we examine organizational risk factors of burnout on the example of one company, different burnout levels are detected in managers-recipients’ group, probable personality types of individual managers-recipients are identified. As the result of this research hypothesis stated here is partly proved, considered all the correlation between individual’s burnout level and his personality type is settled given same organizational risk factors of burnout. Some ideas on the extension of the list of the personality types being in the risk zone (made in theoretical part) are offered as well as the ideas on further analysis connected with identification of counterfactors influencing on recipients with “risky” personality type, but allowing them to protect themselves (not to burn out).