Burnout in teachers: shattered dreams of impeccable professional performance.
Burnout usually is conceptualized as a work-related syndrome stemming from the individual's perception of a significant gap between expectations of successful professional performance and an observed, far less satisfying reality. The article examines this perception as a discrepancy between expected and observed levels of the individual's professional self-efficacy. The teaching profession and its service providers--teachers--serve as a model to illustrate and support this examination. Self-reports of novice teachers' experiences in their first year of teaching are given, reflecting a world of shattered dreams of idealistic performance. Finally, a number of suggestions for programs and activities that have proven helpful in alleviating stress and burnout among teachers are described.
Friedman
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The Henrietta Szold Institute, The National Institute for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel. szold@szold.org.il
D000328:Adult; D001240:Aspirations, Psychological; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005201:Fantasy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013663:Teaching; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology