It is said that a person is a workaholic when he cannot disconnect from his work activity. In other words, you are dealing with a workaholic. For the workaholic, their work is much more than an obligation or a means of subsistence.
Work addiction has some unique characteristics
Work-oriented addiction has two general features: an obsessive component and the denial of the addiction. Both characteristics are very common in most addictive behaviors.
Drug, alcohol or gambling addictions have a clear negative connotation from a social point of view. This does not happen with work addiction, as it is an inclination that can be well seen. In fact, there are companies that in some way encourage this type of behavior and the addict himself can see himself as someone very responsible and an example of a good worker.
Compulsive behavior oriented towards work activity implies the abandonment of other areas of personal and family life. Being a workaholic does not simply mean that you work long hours, but that it is a compulsive behavior that has negative repercussions on the individual himself and his personal environment.
Do not forget that the workaholic thinks about work when he is not working and in his free hours he has anxiety and a feeling of frustration for not being dedicated to his professional activity.
A psychological analysis on the question
In some cases this trend is due to a need for permanent recognition. In this way, in a conscious or unconscious way, the workaholic believes that his full dedication to work brings him greater social prestige or greater self-esteem. Sometimes this behavior masks some kind of emotional maladjustment.
From the point of view of psychoanalysis, all addictions hide a lack of emotional intelligence to tolerate the affects. In Freudian terms, the workaholic has a narcissistic personality, that is, a rigid character that acts defensively to camouflage a distressing internal reality.
In Japanese society
According to some research, it has been concluded that 20% of the Japanese population is addicted to work. This circumstance is so striking that in some cases addiction produces suicides as a result of stress and anxiety. In the Japanese language the term karoshi means precisely death from overwork.
Photos: Fotolia - Thadthum - Galyna
