Burnout, Fatigue, Exhaustion: An Interdisciplinary Perspective on a Modern Affliction

by Sighard Neckel (Editor), Anna Katharina Schaffner (Editor), Greta Wagner (Editor)

Overview

This interdisciplinary book explores both the connections and the tensions between sociological, psychological, and biological theories of exhaustion. It examines how the prevalence of exhaustion – both as an individual experience and as a broader socio-cultural phenomenon – is manifest in the epidemic rise of burnout, depression, and chronic fatigue. It provides innovative analyses of the complex interplay between the processes involved in the production of mental health diagnoses, socio-cultural transformations, and subjective illness experiences. Using many of the existing ideologically charged exhaustion theories as case studies, the authors investigate how individual discomfort and wider social dynamics are interrelated. Covering a broad range of topics, this book will appeal to those working in the fields of psychology, sociology, medicine, psychiatry, literature, and history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319850085
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	08/01/2018
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2017
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sighard Neckel is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Hamburg, Germany. He has published almost 180 articles and several academic volumes which cover a wide range of sociological topics in the fields of cultural sociology, social inequality, economic sociology, sociology of emotions, and social theory.

Anna Katharina Schaffner is Reader in Comparative Literature and Medical Humanities at the University of Kent, UK. She has published on the histories of exhaustion, sexology and psychoanalysis, Dada, the film director David Lynch, and various modern writers.

Greta Wagner is Research Associate at the Institute of Sociology at Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, Germany. She has published on strategies of self-optimisation, especially the self-medication with cognitive enhancing drugs, and on burnout.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Sighard Neckel, Anna Katharina Schaffner and Greta Wagner.- Part I. Cultural-Historical Perspectives.- Chapter 1. Pre-Modern Exhaustion: On Melancholia and Acedia; Anna Katharina Schaffner.- Chapter 2. Neurasthenia and Managerial Disease in Germany and America: Transnational Ties and National Characteristics in the Field of Exhaustion 1880–1960; Patrick Kury.- Part II. Exhaustion syndromes.- Chapter 3. Exhaustion Syndromes: Concepts and Definitions; Johanna M. Doerr and Urs M. Natter.- Chapter 4. Burnout: A Short Socio-Cultural History; Wilmar Schaufeli.- Chapter 5. Burnout: From Work-Related Stress to a Cover-Up Diagnosis; Linda V. Heinemann and Torsten.- Part III. Exhaustion and Self-Realization.- Chapter 6. What We Talk About When We Talk About Mental Health: Toward anAnthropology of Adversity in Individualistic Society; Alain Ehrenberg.- Chapter 7. Self-Realization through Work and its Failure; Elin Thunman and Marcus Persson.- Chapter 8. Exhaustion and Euphoria: Self-Medication with Amphetamines; Greta Wagner.- Part IV. Exhaustion discourses.- Chapter 9. Rechargeable Man in a Hamster Wheel World: Contours of a Trendsetting Illness; Ulrich Bröckling.- Chapter 10. Literary Exhaustion; Michael Greaney.- Part V. Exhaustion and the Social.- Chapter 11. Social Agony and Agonizing Social Constructions; Iain Wilkinson.- Chapter 12. Exhaustion as a Sign of the Present; Sighard Neckel and Greta Wagner.- Conclusion; Sighard Neckel, Anna Katharina Schaffner and Greta Wagner.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: This book discusses different theories of exhaustion, from different disciplines such as biology, sociology, and psychology, and demonstrates its impact on medical and mental health.
Purpose: By examining "the status of exhaustion symptoms in medical, psychological, sociological, historical, and literary accounts, [the book] analyses the interplay between the processes involved in the production of mental health diagnoses, socio-cultural transformations, and subjective illness experiences."
Audience: The intended audience includes "those working in the fields of psychology, sociology, medicine, psychiatry, literature, and history." Sighard Neckel is professor at the University of Hamburg; Anna Katherina Schaffner is a reader at the University of Kent, and Greta Wagner is from Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Features: Part I explores historical perspectives, recounting how exhaustion was discussed in early Greek civilization by Galen and Hippocrates, mentioned by early Christian authors in their teachings, and how, in the middle ages, melancholia was a topic. In the modern era, the concept of "neurasthenia" or nerves under stress, a malady with a variety of symptoms, was popular. During the twentieth century, attention turned to "managerial disease," or the pressure of work on people, which was later described as psychosocial stressors. Part II covers exhaustion syndromes. Fatigue and exhaustion are seen as synonymous, though they are somewhat subjective. During the latter half of the twentieth century, chronic fatigue syndrome and Epstein-Barr virus were topics in the medical literature. The term "burnout" was first used in the 1970s, coined by Herbert Freudenberger, who used it to better understand the effects of chronic substance abuse. The book notes that it is important to differentiate between burnout and depression. Burnout can be seen as both an individual and organizational issue. One way to combat burnout is by establishing positive social relationships. The book discusses exhaustion syndrome in Swedish public service workers, who accepted responsibility and did not shift blame to the organization. However, it is obvious that individual, organizational, and societal demands all contribute to the exhaustion syndrome. The book notes that there has been an increase in the use of amphetamines in the workplace to address the lack of energy and motivation. Self-esteem should not be dependent on achievement in the workplace. The ultimate goal is to deal with burnout is in terms of "rebalancing" between work and play. The book ends with an attempt to find a solution to an age-old problem — society must find a way where health and well-being are emphasized and not simply the bottom line of a financial statement. Ultimately, individuals must find self-fulfillment in their lives overall.
Assessment: This is an interesting book that examines exhaustion from a number of perspectives, presenting cross-cultural studies and possible solutions. It will appeal to a wide audience in psychology, psychiatry, and sociology.

Doody's Review Service

This book discusses different theories of exhaustion, from different disciplines such as biology, sociology, and psychology, and demonstrates its impact on medical and mental health. … This is an interesting book that examines exhaustion from a number of perspectives, presenting cross‐cultural studies and possible solutions. It will appeal to a wide audience in psychology, psychiatry, and sociology.” (Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody's Book Reviews, September, 2017)

From the Publisher