La tiranía del Superyó : el ‘Burnout’ como síntoma contemporáneo frente al malestar institucional.

Abstract

This graduation Project showed that the subject has been shaped by a culture of performance which, from the family and school and later in adulthood through institutions, reinforces ideals of perfection and belonging. From a psychoanalytic perspective, it was explained that the more the subject obeys the mandates of the superego, the more cruel its demands become, pushing the body toward manifestations of exhaustion that were read as burnout. The problem was framed as a contemporary from of institutional malaise: it does not arise solely from external workload demands, but from a symbolic structure that installs guilt and self – exigency as measures of value. Using a qualitative approach, this research implemented a focus group with six participants working in a media company in the city of Guayaquil, characterized by high levels of demand and/or professionals dedicated to communication. This made it possible to identify singular perspective and cases at different levels of severity. Despite the limitations in available literature, the study justified its relevance and revealed that behind sustained productivity lies a psychic wound: the subject sought to earn love through performance and ultimately “burned out”. Understanding this logic opened, finally, a horizon for interventions that protect the body and authorize rest without guilt.