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A drug called comparison: the pains and gains of social comparison among individuals suffering from burnout

(2002) Brenninkmeijer, Veerle

In our lives, we are surrounded by other people, some of whom are faring better and some of whom are doing worse than we do. These others may serve as sources of hope and inspiration and may foster positive selfevaluations, but may sometimes also cause frustration and despair. In this dissertation, comparison processes with others (i.e., social comparisons) are studied among individuals who can be assumed to be particularly vulnerable for the harmful effects of these comparisons: individuals suffering from burnout. Burnout is a state of mental exhaustion, encompassing feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. How would individuals in such a state compare themselves with others? Are they still capable, like healthy people, to preserve a positive view of themselves vis-a-vis others? Can they be inspired by successful others in the same way as healthy people? And how do they respond to confrontation with unfortunate others? Moreover, how may they benefit from comparison with others? By studying burnout from a social comparison perspective, this dissertation aims to give more insight in the development and persistence of burnout, and to provide suggestions for the treatment of burnout. Burnout constitutes a major problem in our society that not only affects the individuals inflicted by it, but also the recipients of their service (i.e., pupils, clients, patients), and the institutions (i.e., private companies, public institutions) that have to bear the costs of disability pensions. Social comparison processes may be particularly relevant for burnout, as burnout develops and persists mainly in the context of the working environment, a domain where social comparison is a quite prevalent phenomenon (e.g., Goodman, 1977). Moreover, social comparison processes seem to play in general a significant role among people facing mental and physical health problems (e.g., Buunk & Gibbons, 1997; Tennen, McKee, & Affleck, 2000). Among cancer patients, for instance, comparisons with less fortunate others may help to combat a sense of victimization (Wood, Taylor, & Lichtman, 1985; see also Wood & Van der Zee, 1997).