A systems psycho-dynamic perspective on burnout

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore burnout from a systems psycho-dynamic perspective. A qualitative design, using focus groups, was used. Burnout can be seen as a phenomenon resulting from the psycho-dynamic relatedness between subsystems in the organisation. The macro system disowns and projects its unacceptable behaviour onto and into an individual with a specific valence, who identifies with the behaviour. Through counter transference, the individual experiences and contains the behaviour on behalf of the system. Coping with burnout implies that the total system will try to become aware of its projections and own its good and bad parts alike.<p> <strong>Opsomming</strong> <br>Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om uitbranding vanuit ’n sisteem-psigodinamiese perspektief te eksploreer. ’n Kwalitatiewe ontwerp met fokusgroepe is gebruik. Uitbranding kan gesien word as ’n fenomeen wat ontstaan uit die psigodinamiese verbintenis tussen subsisteme in die organisasie. Die makrosisteem onteien en projekteer sy onaanvaarbare gedrag op en in ’n individu met ’n spesifieke valensie, wat met hierdie gedrag identifiseer. Deur middel van teen-oordrag, ervaar en behou die individu die gedrag namens die sisteem. Coping met uitbranding impliseer dat die totale sisteem sal probeer bewus word van sy projeksies en om sy goeie en bose dele tegelyk te eien

The systems psychodynamic experiences of first-year master’s students in industrial and organisational psychology

“…Therefore, they had to use their individual resilience to cope. If this carries on for long, one can expect symptoms of burnout (Cilliers, 2003), as in their expressed helplessness.…”

Development of a Transactional Analysis Diagnostic Tool for Burnout with a Case Study Application in Switzerland

“…When considering approaches to addressing burnout, it is pertinent to consider systemic psychodynamic therapy (SPDT) first, since this is the closest to Berne's own theoretical background. The SPDT derives from the psychoanalytic frame of reference (Freud, 1921) merged with the systemic approach (Cilliers, 2003). The approach focuses on individual experience and mental processes such as dreams, fantasies, object relations, transference and resistances, as well as the experience of social groups and process which can be unconscious and at the origin of unresolved organisational tribulations and stress.…”

“…The research carried out by Cilliers (2003) argues that "burnout involves the individual as micro, as well as the group as meso, and the organisation as macro systems; thus, coping with burnout becomes a "total endeavour" (p.26). From Cilliers (2003) systemdynamics perspective burnout is a persistent, negative, work-related state of mind and a behaviour which develops gradually and remains unnoticed for a long time.…”

“…Different psychotherapeutic models have been used to treat burnout, including systematicpsychodynamic (Freud, 1921;Cilliers, 2003), cognitive-behavioural (Maslach, Jackson, Leiter, Schaufeli & Schwab, 1986) and logotherapy (Frankl, 1976;Längle, 2003). Between them, these cover cognitive, behavioural, motivational, relational, existential, emotional and somatic areas.…”

The role of groupwork in tackling organisational burnout

“…The risk in this cannot be overstated, and just as case workers and teams need help in understanding the total dynamics -including the unconscious processes -so too does the organisation as a whole. Cilliers (2003) also highlights this point as a result of a focus-group study of burnout from a systems psychodynamic perspective, commenting that to cope with burnout of individuals, 'the total system [organisation as a whole] will [need] to become aware of its projections and own its good and bad parts alike'.…”