The End of Burnout

More about the book

Going beyond the how and why of burnout, a former tenured professor combines academic methods and personal experience to propose new ways to resist our cultural obsession with work and transform our vision of human flourishing. Burnout has become a common term for the pressure and dissatisfaction we face at work, yet the discourse often fails to aid those suffering from exhaustion and despair. Jonathan Malesic, having experienced burnout firsthand, quit his tenured position and delves into the history and psychology of burnout, tracing the origins of the high ideals we bring to our jobs. He profiles individuals and communities resisting our commitment to constant work, framing his investigation with his own experiences. Through research on the science, culture, and philosophy of burnout, Malesic examines the gap between our vocational ideals and the reality of our jobs. He challenges conventional wisdom on confronting burnout, focusing instead on how jobs symbolize our value and identity. Highlighting issues like unfairness, lack of autonomy, and community breakdown, the book also showcases groups addressing these ethical failures. By looking to communities of monks, nonprofit employees, hobbyists, and artists with disabilities, Malesic reveals paths to resist a "total work" environment and affirm the dignity of all workers and nonworkers.