What is the definition of burnout?

• A. Temporary fatigue after long hours
• B. The extinction of motivation or incentive especially where one's devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results
• C. A clinical depression
• D. An acute stress reaction

Answer: (B)

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by chronic workplace stress, leading to a diminished sense of motivation and effectiveness. The best definition here centers on the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially when sustained devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results. That captures the core shift in burnout: motivation and engagement fade even as effort continues, because the ongoing demands aren’t yielding the hoped-for outcomes. Temporary fatigue after long hours is more short-lived and lacks the chronic motivational drain. Clinical depression involves broader mood and functioning issues beyond work-related burnout. An acute stress reaction is a rapid, short-term response to a single stressful event, not the ongoing pattern seen in burnout.