The state of physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion is known as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Burnout
Option (1) Resistance — Incorrect. Resistance is the second stage of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome. If stress is prolonged, the parasympathetic nervous system calls for more cautious use of the body’s resources and the organism tries to cope with the threat. It is a stage of coping, not of exhaustion.
Option (2) Trauma — Incorrect. Traumatic events are extreme events such as a fire, a train or road accident, a robbery or an earthquake. Their effects may show later as anxiety, flashbacks, dreams and intrusive thoughts. Trauma is a source of stress, not the worn-out state described in the question.
Option (3) Burnout — Correct. When stress is prolonged and little support is available, people become exhausted. Physical exhaustion shows as chronic fatigue, weakness and low energy; mental exhaustion as irritability, anxiety, helplessness and hopelessness. This state of physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion is known as burnout.
Option (4) Alarm Reaction — Incorrect. Alarm reaction is the first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome. A stressor activates the adrenal-pituitary-cortex system, hormones are released and the person is ready for fight or flight. It is the body’s first response to a stressor, not exhaustion.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 08-06-2023 (Slot 1), and in CUET (UG) 2025 on 22-05-2025 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Stress and Health … When stress is prolonged, it affects physical health and impairs psychological functioning. People experience exhaustion and attitudinal problems when the stress due to demands from the environment and constraints are too high and little support is available from family and friends. The physical exhaustion is seen in the signs of chronic fatigue, weakness and low energy. The mental exhaustion appears in the form of irritability, anxiety, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. This state of physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion is known as burnout.…” |