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According to the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced sense of personal accomplishment. ln this paper four models of the burnout process, conceptualized by the MBI dimensions, are examined and evaluated by LISREL Vll: Golembiewslti, Munzenrider. and Carter (1983), Leiter and Maslach (1988), Lee and Ashforth (l993b], and an alternative model. The sample consisted of 196 nursing professionals from different hospitals in Tenerife {Spain}. The results indicate that the model of Leiter and Maslach, and the alternative model may offer a good representation of the burnout process. The alternative model states that the burnout process progresses in parallel from personal accomplishment to depersonalisation and from emotional exhaustion to depersonalisation. The theoretical soundness of this sequence is emphasized.