Psychology researchers identify a “burnout to extremism” pipeline

When Luigi Mangione was arrested for the alleged murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in December 2024, public reaction shocked observers. Far from universal condemnation, many people expressed support. This was especially true among younger people, with polls showing 41% of young adults viewed the murder as acceptable.

So what leads the average person to justify extreme violence? Our recently published research, in the special issue “Understanding violent extremism” of the APA Journal Psychology of Violence, locates the answer in one increasingly widespread phenomenon: workplace burnout.

Mangione’s manifesto cites “corruption and greed” as a source of frustration, a sentiment that resonates widely amid growing dissatisfaction with modern work environments. Recent research shows that broader patterns of systemic frustration and perceived corruption are associated with burnout.

Our study, which took daily surveys from over 600 employees, suggests burnout may quietly fuel worrying attitudes – specifically, the potential justification of violent extremism – towards the perceived source of their distress.

The burnout to extremism pipeline

In our study, employees made daily notes of their burnout symptoms, emotional states, and violent extremist attitudes. On days when employees felt more burnt out, they reported significantly more sympathy toward extremist ideas, such as justifying violence against perceived injustices.

The daily grind of burnout produced negative feelings of fear, sadness, shame, and guilt. To alleviate these negative feelings – and regain a sense of purpose – some individuals appeared to find extremist ideologies more appealing.

This phenomenon can be explained through the combined lens of three established psychological theories. The first is General Strain Theory, which suggests that daily frustrations lead to violent extremism through the experience of negative emotions.

The second is the existential model of burnout, which links burnout to a failed existential quest when meaningfulness in work disappears. Last is Significance Quest Theory, which argues that when the sense of personal significance is eroded in people’s everyday lives, they might look elsewhere, including to radical beliefs, to restore meaning.

In combination, these ideas, particularly the existential and Significance Quest models, suggest that burnout reflects a failed search for meaning – one that may drive individuals toward violent extremism as a means of restoration. General Strain Theory further contributes by emphasising the emotional path involved in this process.

Why burnout matters

Our study does not suggest that individuals experiencing burnout will inevitably engage in extremist violence. Rather, it demonstrates how everyday experiences of burnout can subtly shift individuals toward violent extremist attitudes, thereby normalising the acceptance of violence.

This distinction is critical and is emphasised in the two-pyramids model, which differentiates between radicalisation of opinion and radicalisation of action. While the link between the two may be weak, radicalisation of opinion alone can pose a serious threat to democracies and open societies by eroding social cohesion and fostering polarisation. For this reason, it warrants focused study in its own right.

Today, workplace burnout is alarmingly common, affecting approximately three in four employees. This means a huge portion of the workforce experiences the emotional strain capable of fuelling extremist ideas.

While the vast majority will never resort to violence, a society that becomes increasingly tolerant of extremist attitudes risks normalising destructive behaviours and undermining both democratic values and workplace cohesion. Moreover, even if only a small minority ultimately engage in violence, the consequences can still be profound.

Organisational support can help

Our findings also reveal an effective form of protection: perceived organisational support. Employees who felt that their organisations genuinely valued their contributions and cared about their wellbeing were less likely to gravitate toward extremist ideologies, even when experiencing burnout symptoms.

However, there’s a critical caveat to this: organisational support is most effective at mitigating the harmful effects of burnout before negative emotions take hold. Once employees have crossed that emotional threshold, additional support alone has limited power to prevent the escalation toward violent extremist attitudes.

Employers therefore hold the key to addressing burnout before it escalates into something more serious. Organisations must proactively invest in burnout prevention, not merely as a health initiative, but as a vital strategy for preserving stability, both in the workplace and in society at large.

This means promoting fairness and transparency in the workplace, ensuring employees feel recognised and valued, training managers to identify early signs of burnout and respond proactively, and establishing open, safe channels for employee feedback.

Concerns about fairness don’t stop at the office door. Broader perceptions of injustice in society may also fuel extremist sympathies, especially when individuals are already mentally exhausted. For instance, efforts to pursue the death penalty against Mangione to serve President Trump’s political agenda may deepen perceptions of systemic unfairness, which will only exacerbate radical views.

The broader implications

Burnout is more than just workplace exhaustion or disengagement. It signals a deeper and more dangerous existential vulnerability. A workplace that ignores employee burnout doesn’t just risk lower productivity – it creates a breeding ground for ideological radicalisation.

As both workplaces and societies confront a surge in extremist sentiment, including support for violent acts framed as resistance to corporate greed, it is crucial that we learn to recognise the underlying psychological triggers. Burnout is one of them, and employees don’t just need support to do their jobs better – they need it to maintain a sense of meaning, stability, and connection in their lives.

A burnt-out mind will seek meaning wherever it can find it. If the workplace fails to offer that, extremist ideologies are often ready to fill the void, with consequences that reach far beyond the office walls.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.