2 Four main perspectives of burnout

This figure consists of a rectangular shaded box with text within. Clickable tabs at the top of the figure allow the user to flick between descriptions of the four different perspectives as follows:

Perceived stress perspective

The focus of this approach to burnout is stress. Proponents of this approach (e.g. Gould et al. (1997); Smith’s Cognitive–Affective Model of Athletic Burnout (1986)) argue that stress is said to occur when an individual’s perceptions of the demands of a situation (e.g. training requirements, competition preparation, commitments outside of sport) outweigh what his/her perceived resources can handle (e.g. abilities, coping skills, support network). Burnout occurs when such stress is experienced for a prolonged period of time.

Overtraining perspective

For some, burnout is thought of in more physical terms. Here it is the result of doing too much training with inadequate recovery periods. Research using this perspective identifies any exhaustion and subsequent burnout as the product of an accumulating imbalance between stress and adequate recovery. For example, Kellmann (2002) and other proponents would consider physiological and psychological aspects of Barker’s adaptation to training demands with a particular interest in the quality of any recovery strategies used and the extent of overtraining. This is explained in more detail in Sessions 3 and 4.

Motivation perspective

At the heart of this perspective is the idea that burnout occurs in individuals who have too high a level of motivation or who are motivated by a very narrow number of factors. This links to the idea that they will push themselves too hard in pursuit of their goals so understanding how people are motivated is central. Therefore, researchers (e.g. Cresswell and Eklund, 2005) would explore the nature of Barker’s motivation and drive. Self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985) is regularly used to support this perspective. Self-determination (i.e. freely choosing to do an activity rather than feeling you have to do it) is explained in more detail in Session 5.

Social perspective

Coakley (1992) argues that, for many, sport can become all-consuming from a young age. The danger of this is that an individual’s identity (the very way in which they see themselves) becomes overly narrow and focused on their role as an athlete. Athletes can begin to feel trapped in their sport. For example, earlier in Session 1 you saw how travelling seemed to broaden Ellie Simmonds’ identity beyond being an athlete. It is argued that burnout is a social problem stemming from the way sports are organised. In developing insights into Barker’s burnout, researchers would explore how much sport forms part of her main identity and, in turn, if this unidimensional (i.e. narrow, singular) athletic identity relies upon sporting success.