2022 Volume 35 Issue 1 Pages 11-21
The author designed this study to clarify the processes of recovery or deterioration in psychologists’ burnout. The author interviewed clinical psychologists (N=19) with high burnout scores and analyzed their episodic narratives by M-GTA. The psychologists’ mean years of experience was 5.3 years. The author also interviewed many novice psychologists. The results showed that novice psychologists who lacked competence and expertise could not cope with the mismatch between their work environment and salary, the workload, and human relationships, making it challenging to demonstrate their knowledge in the workplace or clinical practice. As a result, psychologists’ burnout became chronic. However, many psychologists who recovered from burnout and experienced growth by actively using self-care and social support continued to work without resigning from their jobs. These findings suggest the essential role of continuous self-care and social support after entering the workplace. Furthermore, organizational-level measures are necessary to prevent burnout due to environmental factors because individual efforts might have only limited effects.
