The workaholism syndrome: an emerging issue in the psychological literature.

The workaholism syndrome: an emerging issue in the psychological literature. The present paper provides a concise overview of the"workaholism syndrome." This includes a discussion ofworkaholism from an addiction perspective, it's overall componentsand consequences, and a conceptual framework For the concept in aesthetics and art criticism, see .A conceptual framework is used in research to outline possible courses of action or to present a preferred approach to a system analysis project. . Suggestions are offeredfor effective strategies to confront and mediate MEDIATE, POWERS. Those incident to primary powers, given by a principal to his agent. For example, the general authority given to collect, receive and pay debts due by or to the principal is a primary power. the onerous impact ofworkaholism. ********** The construct of "workaholism" has received limited,systematic attention within I-O psychology. Although studies onworkaholism rose after the development of the Work Addiction RiskTest(Robinson, 1999) and the Workaholic work��a��hol��icn.One who has a compulsive and unrelenting need to work. Triad (Spence n. 1. A place where provisions are kept; a buttery; a larder; a pantry.In . . . his spence, or "pantry" were hung the carcasses of a sheep or ewe, and two cows lately slaughtered.- Sir W. Scott. & Robbins, 1992),much research in this area is theoretical in nature and exists inpopular magazines, books, and in clinical, counseling-related journals.This state of affairs is a bit surprising since workaholism can impactdiverse areas of human functioning at the individual, family,organizational, and societal levels (e.g., Vodanovich & Piotrowski,2006). Here, we provide a brief synopsis A summary; a brief statement, less than the whole.A synopsis is a condensation of something—for example, a synopsis of a trial record. of workaholism from anaddiction perspective, its general features and consequences, aconceptual framework for the "workaholic syndrome" andsuggestions for organizational strategies to confront workaholism. Workaholism as an Addiction Many writers have conceptualized workaholism as having addictivefeatures (e.g., Robinson, 1989). The theoretical underpinnings of workaddiction have, at its core, similar, dynamic features with otheraddictions such as alcoholism (e.g., Porter, 1996). This approach toworkaholism was echoed by Robinson who stated that "Work addictionis an addiction in the same way that alcoholism is an addiction.Progressive in nature, it is an unconscious attempt to resolve unmetpsychological needs that have roots in the family of origin and can leadto unmanageable life, family disintegration disintegration/dis��in��te��gra��tion/ (-in?ti-gra��shun)1. the process of breaking up or decomposing.2. , serious health problems,and even death" (Robinson, 2000 p. 34). Other maladies associatedwith workaholism in this framework include obsessive-compulsiveness,perfectionism per��fec��tion��ismn.A tendency to set rigid high standards of personal performance.per��fection��ist adj. & n. , and Type A behavior type A behaviorn.A behavior pattern characterized by tenseness, impatience, and aggressiveness, often resulting in stress-related symptoms such as insomnia and indigestion and possibly increasing the risk of heart disease. (e.g., Mudrack, 2004). The Workaholism Syndrome The portrayal of workaholism as a developmental and progressiveprocess with dysfunctional features was recently illustrated byPiotrowski and Vodanovich (2006). One of the basic tenets of this modelis that workaholic behaviors are a set of progressive, maladaptive MaladaptiveUnsuitable or counterproductive; for example, maladaptive behavior is behavior that is inappropriate to a given situation.Mentioned in: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy behaviors that worsen wors��en?tr. & intr.v. wors��ened, wors��en��ing, wors��ensTo make or become worse.worsenVerbto make or become worseworsening adjn over time. In the early developmental stages,workaholic behaviors, which emanate em��a��nate?intr. & tr.v. em��a��nat��ed, em��a��nat��ing, em��a��natesTo come or send forth, as from a source: light that emanated from a lamp; a stove that emanated a steady heat. from a combination of individualfactors (e.g., personality traits), home/family characteristics (e.g.roles, responsibilities), and internal and external stressors, do nottypically interfere with everyday functioning. Nevertheless, as timeprogresses, the combination of various individual and work-relatedfactors combine and lead to more frequent and intense workaholicbehaviors. At this point, work becomes and increasing basis ofreinforcement for the workaholic individual and both work and non-workenvironments begin to noticeably decline. Eventually, workaholicbehaviors spiral out of control and become dysfunctional, and lapse intothe full-blown Workaholism Syndrome. At this stage, the impact ofworkaholism can become severe and substantially impact the physical andpsychological well-being psychological well-beingResearch A nebulous legislative term intended to ensure that certain categories of lab animals, especially primates, don't 'go nuts' as a result of experimental design or conditions of individual employees, their families, andco-workers. These most common correlates of workaholic behaviorsreported in the literature are heightened levels of job stress (e .g.,Taris, Schaufeli, & Verhoven, 2005) and work-family conflict Work-family conflict is “a form of interrole conflict in which the role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible in some respect. That is participation in the work (family) role is made more difficult by virtue of participation in the family (work) (Burke,1999), although others have been identified and are noted below. * Increased health symptoms (physical and psychological) * Job stress/burnout * Work-family conflict * Teamwork problems (competition, unrealistic standards) * Job performance decrements (e.g., busy work) * Withdrawal from family interactions * Communication difficulties * Low life satisfaction * Lack of enjoyment of leisure time Organizational Interventions Many researchers have discussed how workaholism can be addressed byorganizations and consultants (e.g., Porter, 1996). However, suchefforts can be offset by the fact that workaholic behaviors are oftenrewarded by organizations. Another confounding confoundingwhen the effects of two, or more, processes on results cannot be separated, the results are said to be confounded, a cause of bias in disease studies.confounding factor issue is the contentionthat whole organizations can be considered as manifesting workaholiccharacteristics (e.g., Spurell, 1987; Vodanovich & Piotrowski,2006). Finally, as in the case for all successful interventions, it isimperative to convince upper-level management that workaholism can poseserious threats to the health of their organizations. So, what can managers and professionals do to reduce the extent anddetrimental impact of workaholism? Some suggestions are listed belowwhich include assessment efforts, structural changes in job duties andincentive systems, as well as training and treatment options. * Identify employees who show a penchant for workaholism * Assess the extent of workaholism within organizations (Isworkaholism a problem within the company?) * Reestablish work priorities, alter job schedules, assure thatworkaholics leave work at designated times (managers can play a vitalrole here) * Develop training programs (e.g., assist employees to acquireoutside interests, learn stress and/or time management strategies) * Establish organizational values and culture that emphasize theimportance of better work-life balance The expression work-life balance was first used in 1986 in the US (although had been used in the UK from the late 1970s by organisations such as New Ways to Work and the Working Mother's Association) to help explain the unhealthy life choices that many people were making; they were * Offer incentives for work-family balance * Discourage perfectionism in work assignments * Provide opportunities for individual, group and/or familycounseling References Burke, R. J. (1999). Workaholism and extra-work satisfaction.International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 7, 352-364. Mudrack, P. E. (2004). Job involvement, obsessive-compulsivepersonality Noun 1. obsessive-compulsive personality - personality characterized by a strong need to repeat certain acts or ritualspersonality - the complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual; "their traits, and workaholic behavioral tendencies. Journal ofOrganizational Change Management, 17, 490-508. Piotrowski, C., & Vodanovich, S. J. (2006). The interfacebetween workaholism and work-family conflict: A review and conceptualframework. Organization Development Journal, 24(4), 84-92. Porter, G. (1996). Organizational impact of workaholism:Suggestions for researching the negative outcomes of excessive work.Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1, 70-84. Robinson, B. E. (1989). Work addiction. Dearfield Beach, FL: HealthCommunications. Robinson, B. E. (1999). The Work Addiction Risk Test: Developmentof a tentative measure of workaholism. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 88,199-210. Robinson, B. E. (2000). A typology typology/ty��pol��o��gy/ (ti-pol��ah-je) the study of types; the science of classifying, as bacteria according to type. typologythe study of types; the science of classifying, as bacteria according to type. of workaholics with implicationsfor counselors. Journal of Addictions and Offender Counseling, 21,34-48. Spruell, G. (1987). Work fever. Training and Development Journal,41, 41-45. Taris, T. W., Schaufeli, W. B., & Verhoeven, L. C. (2005).Workaholism in the Netherlands: Measurement and implications for jobstrain and work-non-work conflict. Applied Psychology: An InternationalReview, 54, 37-60. Vodanovich, S. J., & Piotrowski, C. (2006). Workaholism: Acritical but neglected factor in O.D. Organization Development Journal,24(2), 55-61. Chris Piotrowski and Stephen J. Vodanovich, University of WestFlorida For the region, see West Florida. The University of West Florida is a public university, located in Pensacola, Florida. The mascot is an Argonaut, and the school's logo is the chambered nautilus. . Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to ChrisPiotrowski at piotrowskichris@hotmail.com.