Dr. Christina Maslach

Dr. Christina Maslach is a professor emerita of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, recognized for her contributions to occupational health and workplace well-being. Maslach formally defined job burnout, identified its risk factors, and developed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a widely used tool for measuring burnout in the workplace. Her research has focused on workers in emotionally demanding roles, including first responders, nurses, prison guards, and police, shaping the understanding of the relationship between individuals and their work environments.

Maslach's work identified three core components of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. The Maslach Burnout Inventory has been translated into multiple languages and is used globally in research and practical settings to assess and address burnout. Her research contributed to the World Health Organization's decision to include burnout as an occupational phenomenon in the International Classification of Diseases.

Maslach has authored and co-authored several books, including "Burnout: The Cost of Caring," "Professional Burnout: Recent Developments in Theory and Research," "The Truth About Burnout," "Preventing Burnout and Building Engagement: A Complete Program for Organizational Renewal," "Banishing Burnout: Six Strategies for Improving Your Relationship with Work," and "The Burnout Challenge." Her work highlights six areas of work life that influence burnout: work overload, lack of control, insufficient rewards, breakdown of community, absence of fairness, and value conflicts.

In addition to her research, Maslach played a significant role in the Stanford prison experiment, intervening to halt the study and later discussing its ethical implications in the documentary series "The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth." She has held leadership roles at UC Berkeley, including vice provost for undergraduate education and instructional technology and chair of the Academic Senate.

Maslach has received recognition from the scientific community, including the Application of Personality and Social Psychology Award, the National Academy of Sciences Award for Scientific Reviewing, and multiple lifetime achievement awards. Business Insider named her among the top 100 people transforming business. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, honored for her work applying social psychology to contemporary workplace challenges. Maslach's research continues to influence organizational policy, management practices, and public discourse on occupational burnout and workplace well-being.