Burnout Syndrome and “Quiet Quitting” as a Psychological Response to Organizational Exhaustion
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Transformations in contemporary work have intensified psychosocial risks and fostered the coexistence of burnout and quiet quitting, phenomena associated with exhaustion, psychological detachment, and reduced discretionary effort. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between both constructs as psychological responses to organizational exhaustion among workers in Latin American organizations. A qualitative, documentary, cross-sectional, analytical, and descriptive study was conducted through a review of literature published between 2016 and August 2026, retrieved from scientific databases and examined using categories derived from Job Demands–Resources Theory. The results showed that burnout prevalence in Latin American studies ranged from 13.2% to 70.3%, whereas quiet quitting exceeded 57% in the international healthcare samples analyzed. Work overload, shift work, and turnover intention were associated with higher levels of both phenomena, while organizational support and job satisfaction showed inverse relationships. The integrated interpretation indicated that quiet quitting constitutes an ambivalent psychological response that is distinct from, although associated with, burnout and adverse organizational conditions. It was concluded that addressing these phenomena requires the simultaneous examination of job demands, resources, and occupational characteristics, thereby avoiding attributing employee disengagement exclusively to the individual.
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