Violent extremists are created by current cultural attitudes and job situations that lack a sense of purpose.

The public reaction to Luigi Mangione’s arrest for the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder in December 2024 surpassed the shocking nature of the criminal act. Many Americans, especially the young population, showed backing for the act instead of showing universal disapproval. Research results showed that 41% of young adults endorsed the killing because they saw it as a legitimate response to corporate exploitation.

The unsettling response from the public leads us to ask which factors drive typical individuals to endorse violent actions. New research reveals that the hidden workplace epidemic of job burnout stands as the primary cause.

The Burnout Epidemic

The timing of this research is of special importance. With burnout rates on the rise, 82% of employees face burnout risks in 2025, per recent studies, differing from prior years. The three fundamental characteristics that define clinical burnout consist of emotional exhaustion, work cynicism, and diminished personal accomplishment. Failure to address these particular factors can have catastrophic effects in the future for cultures worldwide.

Where might this genesis be traced to, and which job positions or professions are most at risk? The current state of work presents challenging statistics about modern employment conditions. We don’t have to be researchers to begin to uncover some areas of concern.

The medical field maintains the highest burnout figures among professionals, with physicians experiencing 48.2% and nurses facing 62% workplace exhaustion. Is it the nature of the work, the corporations that are managing healthcare, or some other factors inherent in healthcare that we have refused to recognize? It may be a bit of all three.

The technology sector demonstrates high burnout levels, which range between 38% and 82% despite its reputation as an industry of progress. Some of the burnout in this area may also be attributed to a concern for job stability. In the face of AI’s impressive progression over the last several years and of what it will mean in the future, we can only wonder. How could someone not be stressed if they thought their job was at risk, especially if they found years in college useless?

The peak burnout experiences of Gen Z and millennial workers occur at age 25, whereas previous generations reached this milestone at 42. There is no doubt that work situations have changed dramatically in the last several decades. No longer do employees enjoy free health insurance, sufficient sick days, or even a pension if they remain with the corporation.

All of these benefits had created a familial relationship with corporations, and now those connections have been severed. I’ve written about this new workplace previously here on Medium.com.

The Daily Descent into Darkness

In a study, employees documented their burnout indicators together with their mood states and their opinions about violent extremism every day. Of course, this is personal opinion and not a clinical scale. But the research findings appear to show that employees who experienced higher burnout symptoms demonstrated greater acceptance of violent extremist ideas aimed at justifying attacks on perceived injustice sources.

Burnout fatigue created a chain of negative emotions, which included fear, together with sadness, shame, and guilt. These overwhelming emotions drove participants to adopt extremist beliefs as psychological support to gain purpose in their lives. We know that the need for a sense of purpose in life is central to all of us.

The Psychology Behind the Pipeline

The three well-established psychological theories explain this disturbing phenomenon.

According to General Strain Theory workplace irritations build into extremist sympathies through extended negative emotional states. People who become trapped in situations they believe are unfair or meaningless will search for outlets to express their anger. The unfortunate result of this is that they are attracted to those who see violence as a means to the end they seek.

According to the Existential Model of Burnout, people experience an existential crisis because work lacks purpose, which leads them to become vulnerable to ideologies that restore meaning. These groups give us purpose, and we know that this is one of the vital aspects of a meaningful life.

Significance Quest Theory shows that people who lose their sense of everyday meaning will intensely seek meaningful alternatives through radical beliefs that, again, provide them with purpose and importance.

The Radicalization Spectrum

The research points to the fact that burnout doesn’t automatically transform people into violent extremists. It does demonstrate how workplace exhaustion modifies employee opinions regarding violent justification through a process that researchers call “radicalization of opinion” but not “radicalization of action.”

The normalization of extremist attitudes is a threat to democratic societies because it breaks social cohesion and creates dangerous political polarization. We’ve seen this in demonstrations where people reveal their vicarious association with violent hate groups.

75% of employees are burned out at work, so they may have emotional vulnerabilities that could fuel extremist sympathies. The impact on social stability could be enormous, even if the number of people who would take action on these feelings is very small.

The Mangione Effect

Mangione states in his manifesto that he was driven by “corruption and greed,” sentiments that are being echoed by people today due to the increasing workplace dissatisfaction. His case illustrates how work-related frustrations can become dangerous when they are combined with mental health issues and social isolation.

The public reaction to Mangione’s actions also demonstrates that his complaints about corporate systems struck a chord with many Americans who are also dealing with workplace burnout and disillusionment.

Corporate Responsibility

Research is now revealing that workplace wellbeing is not only a nice-to-have benefit but also a national security and social stability issue. The failure of organizations to address employee burnout not only leads to reduced productivity but also may lead to the creation of environments where radical ideologies can thrive. Creating this type of work situation is not only self-destructive to corporations, but it also spreads out to the greater culture.

What are some potential steps to be taken to alleviate the level of burnout research is now illustrating? Effective burnout prevention requires:

• To promote fairness and transparency in workplace policies

• To ensure employees feel valued and recognized for their work

• To train managers to detect burnout symptoms early

• To create channels for employees to give feedback and express their concerns

• Tackling resource shortages that contribute to workplace stress

Beyond the Office Walls

The implications extend beyond individual workplaces. A broader societal perception of injustice and systemic unfairness can also increase extremist sympathies among mentally exhausted people. Today, how many of us are feeling mentally exhausted? No, that doesn’t mean that we’re going to become violent, but it has implications that must be addressed.

The next time we hear about workplace burnout statistics, we should remember that they are not just measuring productivity losses. It is possible that they are measuring the psychological vulnerability of millions of workers to ideologies that promise meaning through violence. The question is not whether we can afford to address workplace burnout but what will happen if we fail to take action.