Reducing Burnout and Disengagement: A Review of the Strategies of Social Change Organizations

ABSTRACT

The literature on burnout and persistence for activists or other social change actors has diversified from an explanation of causes to the study of how to address the challenges of disengagement. This review of the literature provides an analysis of organizational strategies for reducing burnout and disengagement. The review uses an explicit search, selection, and inclusion strategy to identify the most relevant English‐language sources. The review identifies thematic areas within three main groups of strategies (individual‐level support, organizational culture change, and relations with non‐movement actors). Significant and novel approaches to strategies are analyzed for each area. To date, the literature has focused more on the first group and, within it, especially on the strategy of educating activists about psychological and related self‐care approaches. However, knowledge is growing about other kinds of strategies for reducing disengagement and burnout. The discussion suggests several areas of future research, including the analysis of synergies across strategies, new comparative issues, and assessment of strategies.