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) Stress — Incorrect. Stress is the pattern of responses an organism makes to a stimulus event that disturbs the equilibrium and exceeds a person’s ability to cope. It is the broad reaction to demands; exhaustion is what prolonged stress can lead to.
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) Coping — Incorrect. Coping is a dynamic, situation-specific reaction to stress, a set of concrete responses intended to resolve the problem and reduce stress. It is the effort to deal with stress, the very opposite of being worn out by it.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2025 on 22-05-2025 (Slot 1), and in CUET (UG) 2026 on 31-05-2026 (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.…” |