This article reviews the tendency toward burnout (the depletion of energy levels) of those in the caring professions. It is suggested that there is a correlation between the work of Ernst (1971) on scripts and life positions, Freudenberger's (1975) typologies, and further development of Erskine and Zalcman's (1979) work on racket systems. This correlation is represented by three distinct racket systems which are relevant to various predispositions to burnout in the helping professions. These three typologies, with their associated fairy story characters, are offered as a way of understanding the experience of burnout for different personality types.
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