We explain what a workaholic is and their characteristics. We also tell you about the causes of work addiction. Please read other MTV articles for more information. If you share it, it will be of little help to us.
What is a workaholic?
A workaholic, also called a workaholic (from the English word “work”), is a person who has an addictive relationship with work, that is, they connect with their work in a compulsive, incessant, and unhealthy way. This term has become popular since the late 20th century, especially in its Anglo-Saxon form, although it has valid equivalents in Spanish, such as laboradicto or ergomaníaco.
Although this condition is not described psychologically or medically, nor does it constitute a formally recognized addiction problem like alcoholism or drug addiction, workaholism emerged as a term in English speech in the mid-20th century. Although it has clearly negative connotations, it is often used in everyday speech to indicate someone who is very committed to their work or who prioritizes their career over other aspects of life.
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The first recorded formal use of the term “workaholic” dates back to 1968, but its popularization is due to the book “Confessions of a Workaholic” by American author Wayne Oates. Later, in 1990, it became a widely used term in self-help and New Age jargon, used to describe the growing fixation on work and office life that the Western world has experienced since then.
Typical Characteristics of a Workaholic
Broadly speaking, some of the characteristics of a workaholic are:
- They view work as the central, fundamental, and vital aspect of their existence, above other traditionally important issues such as love, family, entertainment, etc., for which they demonstrate a lack of interest.
- They dedicate time and effort to work even on holidays, vacation periods, or when sick.
- They work extremely long hours, both alone and while teleworking from home. This is due to the difficulty in setting limits at work.
- They display anxious or depressive behaviors when they are unable to work or when they miss work, even if they are justified.
- They are incapable of refusing new work responsibilities, regardless of the cost these new responsibilities have on their personal life.
- They demonstrate a thirst for recognition in their professional field and difficulty receiving it in other areas.
- They display feelings of superiority toward others, including coworkers, and often also arrogant or authoritarian attitudes toward them.
How can you tell if someone is a workaholic?
A workaholic is different from a hardworking and committed person, and this is a difference that everyone can notice except, of course, a workaholic. There are degrees of work addiction, and this is generally reflected in fundamental aspects: personal life, pleasures and hobbies, and the emotional way of experiencing and understanding successes and failures at work.
A workaholic makes work their entire life, just as an addict does with the substance they consume. Therefore, as a self-assessment, we can ask ourselves the following questions:
- Do we invest the time it deserves in work, or do we let it invade every aspect of our lives?
- How often do we sacrifice central and vital aspects of our lives for work? How do we feel about doing so? Do we recognize it as a sacrifice?
- How many meaningful social relationships do we have outside of work? How much of our life is interesting, exciting, or relevant to us outside of work?
- What would the loss of our job mean for us, beyond the socioeconomic aspect?
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Causes of WORKAHOLIC
A workaholic is someone who works even when they’re not at work, meaning they have trouble setting boundaries in their work life. This can be due to various factors.
Many workaholics have learned to value their work above all else in their lives. This can happen due to personal situations of financial hardship in the past, for example. In this sense, overwork is due to a deep-rooted anxiety in the individual.
This anxiety can also reveal other underlying factors, not necessarily related to intense or traumatic work-related experiences. For example, many workaholics suffer from low self-esteem and a feeling of worthlessness that convinces them they must dedicate 100% of their lives to work, otherwise they run the constant risk of being fired.
Other possibilities relate to the workaholic’s non-work life: it’s common for a workaholic to take refuge in the office to avoid having to deal with personal or everyday issues that are heartbreaking and represent major life failures for them: the inability to find love or friendship, the absence of a family, among others.
These people, then, take refuge in work and end up fulfilling their own prophecy, since devoting everything to work makes it difficult to meet new people, visit family, and even address emotional issues in psychotherapy.
Treatment Options
To combat workaholics, the most advisable thing is to see a specialist: a psychotherapist or psychologist who can unravel the causes of the addiction and treat it. The patient’s effort is required, as with other types of addictions, and the process can often be facilitated with the use of medical or alternative therapies, at the specialist’s discretion.
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References
All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, ensuring reliable content in line with our editorial principles.
- Workaholic on Wikipedia.
- Workaholic on Fundéu.
- Are you a high achiever or a workaholic? on BBC News Mundo.
- Workaholism: Workaholic Syndrome on the newspaper Nueva Tribuna (Spain).
- 7 signs you might be a workaholic on Forbes.
- Workaholic definition Concept, characteristics, causes, and treatment – concepto.de
