Altruism and Burnout among Working Young Adults

Helping people, particularly those that are less privileged than oneself, enables one to view life from a more balanced viewpoint and be more optimistic in life. Work-related stress can often lead individuals to a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that creates a sense of lowered achievement and reduced sense of one’s own identity. This can cause a severe impact on the intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships of individuals, which could potentially lead to a lack of prosocial or altruistic behavior in people. The study aims to throw light on the relationship between the altruistic nature and the level of burnout experienced by employees. The Self Report Altruism scale (SRA) and Burnout Questionnaire, Adapted by Michelle Post. were administered to assess altruism and burnout respectively, on 107 working young adults between the ages of 20-35. The results of the study show that altruism and burnout are significantly correlated.