According to the International Labor Organization, about 8% of the working population works more than 12 hours a day. And American and Asian studies show that 10–25% of workers are prone to workaholism. In Japan, there is even a term for death from overwork - karoshi.
In Russia, they have a positive attitude towards workaholism, perceiving it as a trait of a good employee. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Russia is in 6th place in the TOP of workaholic countries. But can this be considered a plus if scientists talk about workaholism as a mental disorder?
What is workaholism
This concept appeared fifty years ago thanks to Wayne Edward Oates. The psychologist defined workaholism as “an obsessive or uncontrollable desire to work.” The desire to work excessively, which goes beyond normal work ethic.
For workaholics, work is the main value and the only way to realize it. Psychologists call this behavior unhealthy work dependence. However, there is still no consensus on whether this should be considered an official diagnosis.
Signs of workaholism
According to the American Psychological Association, a person suffers from workaholism if he thinks about work outside of work hours and overworks it to the detriment of other areas of his life. Workaholics are obsessed with work as an obsession and often suffer from perfectionism.
Here are some more manifestations of workaholism:
- Inability to quickly switch to another activity.
- Perception of lack of work as a manifestation of laziness.
- Narrow social circle, irritation when others do not want to keep up work topics in conversation.
- Feeling of confidence, calmness, satisfaction only during work.
The main problems of workaholics
The addiction of workaholics distorts their perception of the world around them and their relationships with others. They begin to recognize only their own interests and become more callous and selfish. Under the guise of workaholism, there are many psychological problems - complexes and fears. Never-ending work becomes a psychological screen that reflects negative emotions.
Workaholics recognize the importance of maintaining health and the need for healthy rest only in words, without actually doing anything about it. To direct questions about why they are so indifferent to their health and refuse to relax and communicate with their family, such people respond with ridiculous explanations about production needs, the need to earn money, and the specifics of the business. In fact, these are excuses and a way to get away from really necessary and urgent matters: to seriously improve your collapsing health or to show attention and care to your loved ones. The wives of workaholics are always alone, the children are orphans with a living father. But those susceptible to workaholism do not notice this and do not want to notice; their interests and communication are limited to the scope of work. They replace life with their “professional activities.”
Causes of workaholism
Psychologist Ronald Burke identifies three types of workaholics:
- The first ones are “Work Enthusiasts”. They want career growth to increase their self-esteem while enjoying the work process.
- The second ones are “Passionate Addicts”. They work for the sake of external praise from colleagues or superiors and perceive work as a source of various experiences: “I’m very tired, but let everyone see how hard I try and how irreplaceable I am.”
- The third is “Work Addicts” . They don't want to make mistakes. They devote a lot of time to work so that they do not get fired: “if I refuse additional projects, everyone will think that I am a bad employee.”
By the same criterion, workaholics are distinguished “for themselves” and “for others,” successful workaholics, workaholic losers who fill the voids in life, and hidden workaholics, who represent something in between the other types.
Workaholism may be the result of improper upbringing (“happiness is in money”, “get a job, then you will earn my approval”). Sometimes this is compensation for problems or fears in other areas of life. A person focuses on work to escape loneliness, family conflicts, health problems, or even other forms of addiction.
People also become workaholics because of the traditional social model of a successful person or personal qualities (for example, a phlegmatic temperament). And sometimes workaholism is an economic necessity, when low wages force you to work overtime.
Why do we become workaholics?
There is no single answer to this question, since there are many factors influencing the development of addiction. There are several types of prerequisites for the formation of dependence on work.
Cultural. In many cultures, working outside the home is considered an “indulgence” from fulfilling other social roles: family, friendship, kinship, etc. Thus, people facing difficulties in personal relationships, instead of reflecting and analyzing their own “I,” find an easy loophole , hiding behind the image of a Very Busy Person - this model can be passed on from generation to generation for decades with the full support of others.
Social. Researchers point to the connection between workaholism and the characteristics of a person’s upbringing in the parental family. Excessive demands, strict control, and “cold” relationships can lead to the formation of an inferiority complex, which then spills over into a pathological desire to prove one’s worth through work. This is also facilitated by the harsh, authoritarian approach to raising and teaching children in schools and kindergartens: after ten years of believing that excellent students are better than poor students in everything, it is not difficult to transfer the neurotic desire to be an “excellent student” into adulthood.
Personal. A number of character traits increase the risk of becoming dependent on work. Such characteristics include perfectionism, a high achievement orientation, perseverance, high organization, a tendency to control, etc. Workaholism, in fact, “sharpens” these traits: accuracy turns into painful pedantry, personal stability into ponderous conservatism, etc. . P.
Physiological. Some congenital features of the nervous system increase the risk of developing addictions. These include the predominance of inhibition processes over excitation processes in the cerebral cortex, high stability and weak switchability of the nervous system. People with such characteristics are “phlegmatic” who find it difficult to switch from one activity to another or combine the performance of several social roles at once. In some cases, it may be difficult for them to switch from work tasks to household or other tasks, and then “switch on” back, so work can gradually take up more and more living space.
Economic. Low wages or lack of social security often force people to take on more and more work to provide for themselves and their children. Often this work has to be combined with unpaid domestic work, since hiring staff or buying household appliances is simply unaffordable. Gradually, children grow up and become more autonomous, wages and living standards gradually rise, but the ingrained habit of working a lot and hard, as well as uncertainty about the future, forces them to continue to work “exhaustively.”
The consequences of workaholism and why it is dangerous
Worries about work affect mental and physical health
Neurosis, depression, insomnia. Constant loads disrupt the functioning of the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system. Vision may decrease and immunity may weaken.
Workaholics have no time for family or household chores
Lack of attention leads to various forms of protest in children, and conflicts arise with a partner. The family is usually dissatisfied with the performance of marital or parental responsibilities on the part of the workaholic.
As a person, a workaholic often stops in his development
It is not interesting to communicate with him, and his thinking becomes monotonous. In addition, work overload actually leads to demotions on the career ladder, and sometimes to dismissals.
A stressed employee cannot concentrate. A paradox arises: the more a person works, the less effective he is.
It turns out that usually a workaholic is a boring person who, according to his conviction, is surrounded by a wall of misunderstanding and finds himself in a situation of severe emotional burnout.
How to understand that you are a workaholic
You can calculate the number of hours you spend working, including from home. If the total time is more than 60 hours, this is a reason to think about it. Perhaps you just need a vacation, but with the condition that you will not work during it. Usually, this is how the initial stages of workaholism are treated.
But time is not the main indicator. What is more important is how you feel about your work and how you prioritize:
- You are afraid to delegate tasks to other people and want to control the entire process yourself.
- You spend more time at work than with family or friends.
- You constantly think about work (during rest, before bed, on vacation).
- You don't like it when colleagues make minor mistakes in their work.
- You feel guilty if you don't work due to objective circumstances.
- It is better for you to work than to meet with friends or spend time with family.
- You often say that you don't have time.
- You get very upset when something goes wrong at work.
If you answered “yes” to half of these statements, then you need to fight workaholism.
Psychological portrait of a workaholic
Character Traits The psychological portrait of workaholics is dominated by the “cracker” - a conscientious type, which is characterized by the following traits:
- systematic thinking, organization;
- love of cleanliness and order, thoroughness in work, great effort, patience and diligence, but ultimately achieving average results;
- the desire to be “correct”, the desire for impeccability in everything - in the quality of work, in moral and ethical standards, demanding the same from other people;
- difficulties in choosing, scrupulously weighing the pros and cons in actions and thoughts, forethought, fear of mistakes;
- excessive thoroughness, increased attention to the secondary, getting stuck in details;
- perseverance that develops into obstinacy; purposefulness, straightforwardness in achieving goals;
- accumulation of tension, stress, resentment, inability to relax, rest, forgive, and openly express one’s emotions.
Gender characteristics Men fall into the web of workaholism more often than women. Social stereotypes dictate that they be breadwinners by definition and by birth, but workaholics perceive this as a strong self-justification for their addiction.
Type of work There are few workaholics who exhaust themselves with physical labor because they are too good at it. Energy resources have their limits, and the possibilities for replenishing them are exhaustible. Fatigue will accumulate, and extreme fatigue will not take long to occur.
There are 5-6 times more workaholics who torture themselves with mental labor, because killing yourself in this way is not so easy - you still have to try. Usually the brain does not get tired if it does the work easily and creatively. But the brains of mental workaholics work very hard and inefficiently. His fatigue is felt even physically - by constant tension in the muscles of the upper back and shoulders.
Psychological attitudes At a subconscious level, workaholics constantly play a kind of game, the name of which can be formulated as follows: “try to blame me for something.” They strive to work not just at five, but at five plus, which entails enormous energy costs and makes their work unproductive. Workaholics at the top level have certain difficulties with trust; they abuse their subordinates with petty supervision and regulation of every step. This management system is also ineffective.
“Dangerous” professions Among professions, workaholism most affects programmers. Next come businessmen, third place is occupied by lawyers, economists and accountants, and doctors hold fourth place. Workaholic programmers have a clear binary logic used in programming, which involuntarily imposes certain difficulties on communication in the real world. They sort their lives into pieces and draw up their life program with branches for this or that case. The workaholism of computer scientists turns into computer addiction or its version - Internet addiction.
In Japan, where many are concerned about the growing mortality rate from overwork at work, scientists have already taken up the search for an objective criterion of fatigue. They are trying to develop a method for quantifying fatigue using a special substance in the blood - a biomarker of fatigue. The ability to monitor its level would make it possible to properly organize and control both the labor and, if necessary, the treatment process.
How to get rid of workaholism
Understand the reasons
Finding the source of the problem is 50% of success. That's why it's important to spend time thinking about what makes you work hard.
Perhaps in this way you want to escape from family problems? Or is it important for you to prove to your partner that you are making efforts for the sake of the overall budget? Or maybe you like to feel needed? Don’t be afraid to have an honest conversation with yourself, because by admitting the reason for often immersing yourself in work, you will be able to build your life in a new way.
Set aside special time
Make time in your daily schedule to combat workaholism. You can spend it in different ways. For example, it's worth talking to other workaholics to get valuable advice, or reading a book on the topic.
By the way, among good literature there is “Essentialism” by Greg McKeon or “The Book of the Lazy Guru” by Lawrence Shorter.
Realize how much you've missed
Work has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. Think about how many interesting things you have given up in favor of work. Alumni reunion? Your beloved friend's bachelor party? Traveling with your family? Celebrating your wedding anniversary?
Write down all the shortcomings of your work on a piece of paper. And if it seems to you that there is nothing like that, ask your loved ones: perhaps they have more complaints about your workaholism than you do.
Give up the pressure on yourself
At the psychological level, workaholism is often tied to a sense of duty and guilt. Stop thinking that you are somehow different if you don’t have time to do something. Don’t tell yourself “I should” too often and perceive the inner need for rest as a normal desire. Remember that you are your best friend, so learn to respect yourself by forgiving small mistakes.
Keep a success diary
Try writing down achievements and celebrating completed tasks in all areas of your life. Praise yourself as a friend, partner, parent, and not just as an employee. This way you will see that you have success in different industries, and also that you do a lot for your work, sometimes even too much.
Set clear boundaries
Personal life should not interfere with your work schedule, because it will be difficult to concentrate on one thing. This is especially important if you work remotely.
Decide for yourself what time you will not do work (even answer calls or messages from your boss). For example, after 20:00. Accessing work email on weekends or vacation days is also prohibited.
Change your work habits
If you are a workaholic, then you are probably used to staying late at work, and do not pay attention to the feeling of hunger during the day.
Allow yourself to leave your workplace 15 minutes earlier than usual. After a month, leave another 15 minutes earlier, and so on until you fit into the general work schedule.
On the contrary, stay longer at lunch. Even if the food is over, do not rush to interrupt the break and return to work: it is better to sit on a street bench or take a walk around the building.
Add pleasant rituals to your life
Start and end your day with something that makes you happy, but don't associate it with work. Do yoga, draw, embroider, or water flowers. The main thing is that these rituals make you happy, helping to clear your head from thoughts about work.
Release Energy
Warm baths, aromatherapy sessions, massages, various spa treatments or walking with headphones help you relax. If you meditate and listen to relaxing music, your nervous system will return to normal, which means you will become less worried that everything at work will collapse without your participation.
Another option for relaxation is sports. Join the pool or gym. This way you will not only improve your health, but also guarantee that you won’t think about work matters during training.
Read: Perfectionist's Hell. 8 ways to stop doing everything perfectly
Films about workaholics
Workaholism is a psychological problem that happens to people who completely devote themselves to their work and decide whether the time spent, and ultimately the majority of their life spent on the “altar” of work, is worth it - you can see and think about this by watching the following films:
- “The Devil Wears Prada”
- Miranda, the heroine played by the beautiful Meryl Streep, is an example of a despotic workaholic woman who works tirelessly. Andrea (Anne Hathaway), a new employee, works around the clock to gain a foothold in her new position and prove herself worthy. Very soon Andrea's personal life begins to crack. - “The Social Network”
is a biography film about the successful young entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg. The price of success is the loss of friends. loneliness and the requirement from their employees of the same sacrificial workaholism. - “Kramer vs. Kramer”
is a good old film that tells the story that family is the most important thing in life. Dustin Hoffman's hero, who has devoted himself entirely to what he loves, is faced with reality: his wife leaves him, leaving him with a six-year-old son. - “How to Lose Friends and Make Everyone Hate You”
- the title of the film speaks for itself. The path from an unsuccessful journalist to the ranks of successful ones thanks to workaholism, will this make the hero of the film Sydney happy? - "The wolf of Wall Street"
. If you work very hard and hard, will your dreams come true?
