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Workaholism: definition, measurement, and preliminary results
1Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, USA.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Workaholism, characterized by high work involvement and driveness but low enjoyment, was assessed in social workers. Workaholics reported higher perfectionism, stress, and health complaints compared to work enthusiasts.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Workaholism is a complex behavior pattern.
- Distinguishing workaholism from work enthusiasm is crucial for understanding its impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate questionnaires assessing workaholism and work enthusiasm.
- To investigate the correlates of workaholism in a sample of social workers.
Main Methods:
- Development of scales for workaholism (high involvement/drivenness, low enjoyment) and work enthusiasm (high involvement/enjoyment, low drivenness).
- A mail survey administered to a national sample of male and female social workers (n=291).
- Cluster analysis used to identify distinct profiles within the sample.
Main Results:
- Psychometric properties of the developed scales were evaluated.
- Cluster analyses identified profiles corresponding to workaholism and work enthusiasm, among others.
- Workaholics exhibited higher levels of perfectionism, nondelegation, job stress, and health complaints compared to work enthusiasts.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully differentiated workaholism from work enthusiasm using validated measures.
- Workaholism is associated with negative correlates such as perfectionism, stress, and poorer health.
- Further research is warranted to link these profiles to cardiac disorders and occupational performance.
