The four drivers of workaholism

This is a blog post by a psychologist named Marissa Clark. It was written from her perspective.

People are driven to overwork for different reasons, but they all lead to the same bad results. When I share that I deal with workaholism for a living, I'm usually bombarded with suggestions of topics I could do a case study on. It seems that everyone can think of at least one person in their life that they consider Workaholic would describe - or perhaps he is one himself Workaholic .

The definition of workaholism has expanded over the years to include motivational, cognitive, emotional and behavioral components - but if you understand why you work too much, you can find ways to deal with it.

A BRIEF TAXONOMY OF WORKAHOLISM

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A workoholic - Source: karrierebibel.de

These are some of the major causes of overwork:

• Motivational: Workaholics are different from people who are simply very committed to work. They don't enjoy their work but feel compelled to work due to internal pressure. In other words, they work because they feel like they should or should work.
• Cognitive: Workaholics are constantly thinking about work when they are not working, and they find it difficult to mentally detach from work.
• Emotional: Workaholics experience negative feelings such as anxiety and guilt when they are not working.
• Behavior: Workaholics tend to work beyond what is reasonably expected of them by their organization.

As this breakdown makes clear, all of these forms of workaholism can be triggered and exacerbated by various factors: internal needs, external factors, underlying personality traits, and more.

WHAT TRIGGERS WORKAHOLISM (AND WHAT DOESN’T)

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A possible explanation arises from the desire to fulfill basic psychological needs, e.g. B. the need for competence. Workaholics may devote excessive amounts of time and mental energy to work in order to feel competent, especially if they do not feel competent in other areas of their life.

But other, deeper problems can also play a role. Workaholics (and the people around them) may be reliving patterns from their past or using work as a way to relieve—or ignore—emotional problems and trauma.

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Others have linked workaholism to a range of personality traits. In general, workaholics tend to be more conscientious, extroverted, and neurotic. However, these associations are relatively weak, and studies vary widely. Some of the strongest personality correlates associated with workaholism are traits such as Type A personality, achievement motivation, or perfectionism. And although research on the topic is limited, there is also evidence that narcissism is linked to workaholism.

Some have speculated that workaholism is caused by external work factors, such as: B. due to a very demanding job (e.g. doctors and lawyers who often work very long hours). I don't think anyone who takes up a demanding career becomes a workaholic. But I think it's entirely possible for someone who is workaholic to work in a job that...
Work that requires long hours and extreme work commitment can bring out these tendencies.
Another misconception is that if you love your work, you have to be a workaholic. In fact, people with high work engagement - a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind - are unlikely to be workaholics. Engaged workers work because they find the work itself enjoyable - they genuinely enjoy it - while workaholics work because they feel an inner compulsion to do so.

The implications of this difference are obvious. In one Research studies Workaholism has been found to be associated with higher levels of guilt, anxiety, anger, and disappointment - both at work and at home - while high work engagement is associated with higher levels of happiness, alertness, and self-confidence (again, both at work). as well as at home).

WHY WORKAHOLISM DOESN’T WORK

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Research overwhelmingly supports the idea that workaholism has negative personal consequences. In 2014, I led a comprehensive meta-analysis that summarized the results of 89 primary studies. It found that workaholism is associated with lower job, family and life satisfaction, as well as poorer physical and mental health. In a recent study, researchers found that workaholism is associated with higher systolic blood pressure and higher levels of psychological distress one year later.

But isn't it true that a workaholic can be successful at work? Research shows this is a myth. In our meta-analysis, we examined whether workaholics perform better at work than non-workaholics, and we found no connection between the two. Even though workaholics spend more time thinking about work and engaging in physical activity than the average employee, this is not necessarily beneficial to the employer.

Not only does workaholism fail to increase a worker's productivity, but we also found that workaholism is closely related to increased work stress and burnout.