Antedating of "Burnout"

[Shapiro, Fred]

The OED's first citation for "burnout," in the sense of "physical or emotional exhaustion, esp. caused by stress at work; depression, disillusionment," is from psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in 1975.  An earlier example, and perhaps the coinage, is found in a 1974 article by Freudenberger:

"Staff Burn-Out," Journal of Social Issues 30, no. 1 (1974): 159-65

Fred Shapiro

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