PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Janice Muller

Industrial/Organizational
May 1992
 

Executive Burnout: Work Environment Implications

    This study examined the effects of autonomy, control, and innovation on the executive’s reported level of burnout.  The participants were 37 executives recruited from a northeastern public relations firm and two southwestern advertising agencies.  By using instruments which had never been utilized together to measure the psychological aspects of burnout along with the occupational factors potentially involved, a contribution to the understanding of this relationship was attempted.  The Work Environment Scale (WES) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were the instruments used.
    Based on existing research with other populations, it was anticipated that higher levels of autonomy and innovation along with lower levels of control would be associated with lower reported levels of burnout in executives.  While no significant relationships appeared between these specific variables, some interesting patterns did emerge.  Further investigation into the nature of burnout within this population and on a larger scale is recommended.

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