Psychology 2301 – 56001, Summer 2015
Abstract
Addiction can have many negative behaviors that a person may take to an extreme that can be harmful to them both mentally and physically. When it comes to being addicted to working, it can be far more severe than most people realize. Although the research behind workaholism is underdeveloped, it is estimated that twenty-five to thirty percent of the U.S population is affected by this situation. A person who suffers from workaholism not only reduces the quality of life of him or herself, but also the quality of life of their family members. While the term workaholic is defined as a person who works compulsively, it generally implies that the person enjoys their work but can also imply …show more content…
Addiction typically also comes with a long list of problems debilitating the affected person. Workaholism is a vicious cycle of working and even more working that can cause many physical and mental problems and even death. The workaholic has learned to deal with his or her problems by continuously stressing out about both the work they are currently working on and all of the future work they will have to do. This keeps a workaholic’s mind busy and stressed out enough that they neglect other parts of his or her life, like their family, and then excuse this same neglect with work. For this reason workaholism has been coined as a creative way to cope with the hardships of life. The main part of life mainly neglected by workaholics is usually their personal life. According to Shifron, workaholism has been linked to marital unhappiness, and the offspring of workaholic parents have been shown to have a higher risk of physical, psychological, and self-esteem …show more content…
The main treatment options currently include counseling, whether it is group counseling or marriage counseling because some workaholics go as far as to seek revenge on a spouse by escaping marital problems in favor of work. Ferguson discusses that therapy can also help individuals thrive in the workforce, in regard to satisfying their need to belong. Furthermore, counseling can help workaholics with the support they need to realize what the real deep down issue is that they have and why they are addicted to working. Once the real issue is found there is hope for those workaholics who can then focus on other parts of their life and not just work. It is important to remember that each individual is different, and works in unique ways, however, an addiction is an addiction no matter the circumstance and is still dangerous to not only the person itself, but its
Abstract
Addiction can have many negative behaviors that a person may take to an extreme that can be harmful to them both mentally and physically. When it comes to being addicted to working, it can be far more severe than most people realize. Although the research behind workaholism is underdeveloped, it is estimated that twenty-five to thirty percent of the U.S population is affected by this situation. A person who suffers from workaholism not only reduces the quality of life of him or herself, but also the quality of life of their family members. While the term workaholic is defined as a person who works compulsively, it generally implies that the person enjoys their work but can also imply …show more content…
Addiction typically also comes with a long list of problems debilitating the affected person. Workaholism is a vicious cycle of working and even more working that can cause many physical and mental problems and even death. The workaholic has learned to deal with his or her problems by continuously stressing out about both the work they are currently working on and all of the future work they will have to do. This keeps a workaholic’s mind busy and stressed out enough that they neglect other parts of his or her life, like their family, and then excuse this same neglect with work. For this reason workaholism has been coined as a creative way to cope with the hardships of life. The main part of life mainly neglected by workaholics is usually their personal life. According to Shifron, workaholism has been linked to marital unhappiness, and the offspring of workaholic parents have been shown to have a higher risk of physical, psychological, and self-esteem …show more content…
The main treatment options currently include counseling, whether it is group counseling or marriage counseling because some workaholics go as far as to seek revenge on a spouse by escaping marital problems in favor of work. Ferguson discusses that therapy can also help individuals thrive in the workforce, in regard to satisfying their need to belong. Furthermore, counseling can help workaholics with the support they need to realize what the real deep down issue is that they have and why they are addicted to working. Once the real issue is found there is hope for those workaholics who can then focus on other parts of their life and not just work. It is important to remember that each individual is different, and works in unique ways, however, an addiction is an addiction no matter the circumstance and is still dangerous to not only the person itself, but its