Human rights workers and advocates are often subject to exposure to distressing situations directly and indirectly. From those working directly with survivors of human rights abuses to those working indirectly on human rights abuse issues, the need for taking care of one’s self is extremely important. However, before delving into ways in which one can take care of themselves, it is important to discuss a few key terms to help guide the direction of this discourse. Though much of the literature on self-care, compassion fatigue, and burnout speaks to the experiences of those working directly with people, many of the themes that emerge from existing information seems relevant and transferable to other individuals working less directly or indirectly in the area of human rights.

A helpful term to begin this discussion with is that of burnout. There are many definitions of burnout, but as one definition suggests burnout is defined as “a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment that occurs among individuals who do ‘people work’” (Maslach,1982a as cited in McGee, 1989). Moreover, in Maslach’s (1982) extended definition, burnout can be defined as “a pattern of emotional overload and subsequent emotional exhaustion is at the heart of the burnout syndrome. A person gets overly involved emotionally, overextends himself or herself, and feels overwhelmed by the emotional demands imposed by other people” (Maslach, 1982 as cited in Jenkins and Baird, 2002). Some negative symptoms of burnout include “depression, cynicism, boredom, loss of compassion, and discouragement” (Freudenberger and Robbins, 1979 as cited in McCann and Pearlman, 1990). Maslach’s (1982) definition of burnout clearly underscores the detrimental effects that burnout may have on one’s emotional state and is helpful in that it incorporates the idea of overextending one’s self. Overextending one’s self is an appropriate and important point as many human rights workers and advocates alike, struggle to work with high need populations, in high stress environments, or on issues that receive little support. Therefore, such individuals are often compelled to overextend themselves at the cost of their own sense of well-being.

Other Questions:

1) How can you create balance in your work taking caution not to overextend yourself?

2) How have you dealt with burnout in your work?

3) How can you support your colleagues who may be experiencing burnout?

Part 2 will address compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. Please post any feedback that you have about these very important topics!

References:

McGee, R.A. (1989). Burnout and professional decision making: An analogue study. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 36(3), 345-351.

Jenkins, S.R. & Baird, S. (2002). Secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma: A validation study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15(5), 423-432.

McCann, L., & Pearlman, L.A. (1990). Vicarious traumatization: A framework for understanding the psychological effects of working with victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3(1), 131-149.