Burnout is a psychological response to work stress that is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced feelings of personal accomplishment. In this paper, we review the burnout literature from 1993 to present, identifying important trends that have characterized the literature. We focus our attention on theoretical models that explain the process of burnout, the measurement of burnout, means of reducing burnout, and directions for the future of burnout research.

There is no evidence to support the belief that training raters to change rating distributions will increase accuracy or validity. Such training may merely promote a temporary and situation-specific response set. We call for a new emphasis in rater training programs on: (1) diary-keeping procedures to increase observational skills; (2) the establishment of a common rater frame of reference to enhance agreement on what constitutes effective job performance; and (3) mastery-based training to increase rater self-efficacy regarding negative appraisal situations.