Is Kaladin on his way to burnout syndrome?

[Jenet]

I mentioned this in my general "reactions to the latest chapters", but I thought the idea might deserve a thread on its own.

Kaladin needs to reach rock bottom before he is able to swear his next ideal. He is so strong and hard headed that he is unable to bend or open up to new insight. I think he will just become more depressed, sleepless and frustrated until he breaks and realizes what he needs to do. It is so typical for burnout syndrome. Check out his symptoms here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201311/the-tell-tale-signs-burnout-do-you-have-them

If Kaladin really hits rock bottom, I hope this will be what he needs to build himself up from solid ground and progress with his ideals.

It is typical for burnout syndrome that the one afflicted is the last one to realize it. They become less reliable, more forgetful, and not as awesome in their job as before. And a very typical symptom is insomnia. Kaladin also has done everything in the How-to-get-burnout-syndrome-handbook. Being over zealous and very good at his job. Working double shifts. Taking on more and more responsibility. Not very good at delegating.

Often, people report that if if weren't for their hitting rock bottom after getting burnout, they never would have found themselves and progressed.

So I keep hoping that Kaladin will crash, and hope it will not become too dramatic. (Oh, well, I know, It's Sanderson)

Edited August 5, 2020 by Jenet

[book.spren]

I actually think he's got some comorbid PTSD. I know that it probably started as just depression when he was a teenager but with his struggles regarding not being able to save some people, going to war, Tien dying, his squad being killed, Amaram's betrayal, and every other storming thing he's been through--his symptoms more closely align with PTSD than just burnout or compassion fatigue.

[Jenet]

It is perfectly possible to get both. 

 

[Harbour]

I can relate to that syndrome. I have a gut feeling that something very bad will happen by the end of Part 1, that will make Dalinar send Kaladin to surgeon job.

This will allow Kaladin to replenish own mental resources and rest.

[Karger]

The major symptom Kaladin seems to be working with right now is that he is trying too hard.  This is leading to his performance slipping and him getting aggravated.  I am unsure as to the underlying causes though.

[Subvisual Haze]

He has recurrent depression, which has similar symptoms to burnout, but is quite different in how you manage it. 

Burnout is a natural and rational response to too much stress in your life for too long.  Depressive episodes in contrast often have no specific inciting event, its just your brain being periodically sad for no good reason. 

A good way of distinguishing between the two is the effect of a nice vacation.  A burned out person will feel much better almost instantly if they go somewhere pleasant to de-stress.  A depressed person though will likely still be depressed no matter where they go, they may even feel more frustrated and hopeless that they can't make themselves feel happy despite the vacation. Thus, while a burned out person absolutely should relax and take time off work, a depressed person might actually get worse if they don't have work to provide a sense of purpose and "reason to get out of bed".

It's tricky, often you just need to fight through it until the cloud inevitably lifts.  Don't push yourself too hard, but also don't completely withdraw from your obligations or you might start sinking into a full depressive episode. 

I think Kaladin knows that this is his depressed mood creeping in even though he never clearly spells it out to the reader.  His sleep is off, his attention is drifting more than usual in battle, he's more irritable to others etc.  He doesn't want to talk about it with others though because he probably feels an element of shame/guilt and doubts anyone would be able to help him even if he did open up.

(As someone with seasonal sadbrains myself, reading Kaladin in these chapters is a quite accurate depiction of how I typically feel around December.)

[Jenet]

I did not mean that Kaladin's depression is caused by burnout. I mean that he is starting to burn out because he is been overtaxing himself in addtion to his depression AND his probable PTSD. I agree that Dalinar probably soon will order him to step back for a while and do some work as a surgeon to let his body and mind rest from a very stressful, continuous struggle. For years.

Only if he gets some rest, he will be able to find himself as he has grown to become, and to grow.

Edited August 6, 2020 by Jenet

[+robardin]

Somewhere in the back of his mind continues to be his "failure" to reach/speak the Fourth Ideal.

Kaladin knows what it is. But unlike with his Second and Third Ideals, at the moment he was close enough to saying it, to realize what it was while fighting the Fused in Shadesmar in Oathbringer, he wasn't able to do it ("Could Kaladin do it? Could he really say these Words? Could he mean them? ... He wasn't strong enough.") And he hasn't approached that point again. (Or perhaps he has, in The Skipped-over Time, and still couldn't do it.)

And shortly after he got back, Teft swore the Third Ideal and Lopen the Second... And by RoW Ch. 5, a year or more later, we see Lopen and Drehy both with Shardspears, so they too are of at least the Third Ideal.

If it hasn't already happened, there's a very real possibility that another Windrunner will swear the Fourth Ideal before him. That must weigh on him as well.

I have the feeling that Teft, Lopen, and Drehy would no doubt still look to Kaladin as their Captain and leader even if they advanced in Ideals ahead of him, given their history in Bridge Four, but still - nobody likes to feel like they've "failed" in some way they were supposed to advance. With Kaladin's combination of leadership mentality and depression, and his self-phrasing of that inability to speak the Fourth Ideal as "not being strong enough", that's very likely a huge part what's keeping him up at nights (consciously or unconsciously).

Edited August 6, 2020 by robardin

[Aminar]

I'm wondering if it isn't more Stormlight addiction. Stormlight is described as very Stimulanty. And we saw Kaladin suck in just a little Stormlight to essentially feel normal. Like Coffee in the morning for a caffeine addict. Many of whom suffer from sleep issues brought about by late day Stimulant use. And addiction doesn't need a physical vector. People get addicted to Video Games. To Gambling. It holds that you could get addicted to Stormlight and in doing so exacerbate other mental struggles, lose sleep, and need the "drug" to feel normal. We've seen that in Teft. It wouldn't surprise me to see it in Kaladin here. 

[GudThymes]

8 hours ago, Aminar said:

I'm wondering if it isn't more Stormlight addiction. Stormlight is described as very Stimulanty. And we saw Kaladin suck in just a little Stormlight to essentially feel normal. Like Coffee in the morning for a caffeine addict. Many of whom suffer from sleep issues brought about by late day Stimulant use. And addiction doesn't need a physical vector. People get addicted to Video Games. To Gambling. It holds that you could get addicted to Stormlight and in doing so exacerbate other mental struggles, lose sleep, and need the "drug" to feel normal. We've seen that in Teft. It wouldn't surprise me to see it in Kaladin here. 

This is a really interesting take, thanks for sharing this!

I'm currently re-reading WoR where Kal is experimenting with his powers for the first time in the chasms and it is definitely described in a way that gives him a "rush" mentally, not just physically. I wonder, is the rate of stimulant usage in the population of people with Major Depression greater than the general population? 

If this is the route that Kal is going I would be very excited to see how Brandon explores the relationship between Kal + Stormlight and Teft + Stormlight (or even some other more neurotypical radiants like Dalinar).