Burnout in sport: A review and critique

Abstract

Literature on burnout has typically focused on individuals in occupations denoted by the terms of human services or helping professions. However, recently, studies and conceptual models have appeared investigating burnout in the athletic environment. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on burnout in sport. First, the need for a standard operational definition is discussed along with a brief overview of the burnout research in the helping professions, The conceptual model of burnout developed by Smith (1986) is presented along with research relating to coaches, athletes and athletic trainers. Some of the methodological and measurement problems are addressed and future directions for research are offered.