A few decades ago, a workaholic person was perceived as a standard, business leaders set such people as an example to everyone else, which made workaholics want to work even more and excitedly. What kind of unconscious mechanism affects a person and manifests itself in an unrestrained desire to work and ... work?

Workaholic - who is it?

If you look closely, in any environment there is a person who constantly has no time, he is busy and repeats: “Work is first of all!”, “We must work tirelessly!”. A workaholic is a person for whom life without work is unthinkable. The desire to work is one of the most important human needs, but for a workaholic, this need sometimes becomes the only goal and the meaning of existence in general. Everything else: family, friends, leisure, satisfaction of personal needs and desires is relegated to the background or indefinitely.

Workaholism in psychology

Workaholism as a form of addictive behavior is put on a par with such an ailment as alcoholism. The word "workaholic" sounds like a name-calling or an insult to a person, but studies of the last decades of the 20th century. and the publication of a book by the American psychologist W.E. Watts "Confessions of a Workaholic" - made it possible to look at workaholism as a painful psychological dependence, the same as attraction to alcohol and drugs. The underlying mechanisms are the same:

• avoiding problems in an "alternative" reality;
• obtaining euphoria and a state of happiness only in this way.

Causes of workaholism

Why do people become workaholics is a topical issue for people who suddenly realize that there is nothing in their life besides work. The reasons for the formed dependence on labor:

1. The habit formed since childhood of avoiding problems, scandals in any activity;
2. Example parental family in which they worked hard and hard, earned little, but had a bunch of regalia: badges, medals, certificates for conscientious work;
3. A child, often the eldest in the family, in order to earn the love of parents and approval, takes responsibility for the performance of "adult" household chores.
4. , significance and necessity through the work performed: “When I am at work, I am worth something, I like myself, respect myself and nothing else!”.
5. Poor communication skills;
6. The euphoria once received and the work noted by the management - fix in a person a dependent reaction to feel such feelings again.

Signs of workaholism

What distinguishes a workaholic person from an ordinary hardworking citizen? Workaholism is a pathological behavior, and if you look closely at such a person, you can trace the constantly manifested features, or the so-called “fads” of a workaholic:

• talks only about work;
• uses in speech the words: “must”, “need to plow”, “require”, “work above the roof”;
• periods of weekends and holidays are perceived by a workaholic as wasted time;
• at home all thoughts about work;
• rest and pleasure is not about a workaholic: he feels worthless and restless;
• ignores the needs of the family, all responsibility for solving household issues and the process of raising children lies with the second partner;
• emotional coldness and detachment;
• convinces others that he is working to provide for his family or comes up with another excuse;

Types of workaholism

Workaholism is different and depends on the motives and goals, the nature of the personality of the workaholic. Classification of workaholism:

1. Public workaholism- in every organization and in society as a whole, there are activists who are ready to participate in public works on a voluntary basis.
2. Office workaholism. The most common type of labor addiction.
3. creative workaholism- people of art are subject to it.
4. Sports workaholism– addiction to sports and exercise.
5. home workaholism. Women dedicated to household they cannot imagine themselves without everyday chores around the house, which take away everything free time.

Workaholic - good or bad?

Workaholism cannot be unambiguously classified as a negative phenomenon. At first, being inspired by a cause, fully devoting oneself to a project can help a person move up the career ladder, launch, and bring benefit to society with his research. But the difficulty lies in the fact that a person cannot stop in time and switch to other areas of life. Workaholism and its consequences:

• sooner or later the quality of the work performed begins to suffer;
• physical and moral fatigue accumulates;
• somatic diseases are formed;
• various mental disorders;
• depression;
• separation from loved ones.

How to become a workaholic?

It is important to understand that workaholism is an addiction that is difficult to correct and relationships with a workaholic in other people are far from the most pleasant. But what if the implementation of the planned plans is much more priority than everything else. Steps to become a workaholic:

• iron discipline;
• readiness for loneliness;
• work in emergency mode without days off and holidays for a long time.

How to live with a workaholic

A workaholic, a person not inclined to everyday ordinary communication and discussion of issues, it is difficult for such a person to enter into family or, and if this happens, the other half must be prepared for the fact that work will take up most of the workaholic's time. Relationship options when the spouse is dependent on work:

• humility and acceptance of a partner as is;
• choose free time and try to convey to the person the pressing problems and concerns for living together;
• suggest going to a psychologist.

How to treat workaholism?

Workaholism is a disease, and treatment is possible only if a person realizes existing problem. A visit to a psychologist will help identify the origins of addictive behavior and begin to live by correcting other areas of life that have been launched. Psychotherapy group and individual, sometimes with appointment sedatives in severe cases. Female workaholism is more difficult to correct and leads to the manifestation of male, despotism.

How to get rid of workaholism for a woman - recommendations:

• attending psychological trainings dedicated to women's topics;
• strengthening self-esteem;
• after a job well done, even if it causes resistance to afford rest, entertainment, relaxing treatments;
• start dating.

The most famous workaholics

Famous people are workaholics, who showed by their example that achieving heights is real. These individuals knew what they were getting into and had clearly defined goals and a desire to realize themselves, to give something valuable to society. Cases in which workaholism benefits the world can be called good examples. Famous Workaholics:

Films about workaholics

Workaholism is psychological problem What happens to people who have fully devoted themselves to their activities and decide whether the time spent, and as a result, the past most of the life laid on the "altar" of work, is worth it - you can see and reflect on this by watching the following films:

1. "The Devil Wears Prada"- Miranda - the heroine, played by the beautiful Meryl Streep - is an example of a despotic workaholic woman who works tirelessly. Andrea (Anne Hathaway), a new employee, works around the clock to establish herself in a new place and prove herself worthy. Very soon, Andrea's personal life cracks.
2. "Social network" is a biography film about successful young entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg. The price of success is the loss of friends. loneliness and demand from their employees the same sacrificial workaholism.
3. "Kramer vs. Kramer"- an old, kind film telling that family is the most important thing in life. The hero of Dustin Hoffman, who devoted himself entirely to his beloved work, is faced with reality: his wife leaves him, leaving him a six-year-old son.
4. "How to Lose Friends and Make Everyone Hate You" The title of the film speaks for itself. The path from an unsuccessful journalist to the ranks of successful thanks to workaholism, will the hero of the tape Sydney be happy from this?
5. "The wolf of Wall Street". If you work very hard and hard, will your dreams come true then?

Spending at work for ten and more hours, women destroy their body.

To a greater extent, this is due to the fact that women are more prone to stress, and stress is a blow to the entire body, and not least the reproductive system.

At the same time, being a less stress-resistant woman, she tries to relieve stress in all ways known to her, which in themselves are dangerous for the body. We are talking about energy drinks, coffee, cigarettes and, of course, your favorite female method relieve stress - food, but the one that is more high-calorie, tastier and sweeter.

But if a woman is psychologically ready for such a workload, then her body is completely unsuitable for such a pace of work. And therefore, having gone a long way up the career ladder, a woman can discover a lot of diseases in herself. First of all, workaholic women should be afraid of violations in work endocrine system, failures menstrual cycle and one of the most terrible diagnoses for women - infertility.

Of course, this does not mean that it is necessary to quit work and prepare for the birth of a child, sitting at home, preserving strength and health. This option will also not add happiness and health to you, since it is very important for a woman to be socially realized, otherwise it threatens with another stress and prolonged depression.

Scientists advise women who spend a lot of time at work to look differently at ways to relieve stress so that work does not take away your precious health and did not interfere in the future to become a happy mother of a healthy baby.

First, give up harmful stimulants. Replace a cup of strong coffee with a cup of green tea, and instead of ruining your health in a smoking room, take a break and read jokes.

Listen to yourself. What gives you the most pleasure? Meditation, aromatherapy, yoga - choose an activity to your liking and know how to properly relax after a working day.

If you can’t work without constant snacking, then make them not only tasty, but also healthy. Instead of ice cream, cake and chocolate bars, eat nuts and dried fruits. These products can stimulate brain activity, energize, calm nerves, and even maintain hormonal balance.

Watch your diet. You can't work at a frantic pace for a long time if your body is not getting enough vitamins and useful substances. Eat at least a serving of fruit salad for dinner.

If you catch yourself doing nothing and get annoyed by it, try to make a plan for yourself and complete it during working hours. Remember that we live not only to work, which means to sit in the office all our

A workaholic is a person who perceives work as the only means of self-realization. His love for this activity is too great, according to other people. So much so that it goes far beyond the usual industriousness. Many consider this trait a disease. But is it really so?

Definition

Previously, workaholics were perceived by the majority positively. Their desire to work and improve in their professional field caused others only respect and a desire to praise. But now in the yard of the XXI century - a time when almost any hobby or quality of a person is considered as a deviation from the norm or even a disease.

The fact is that a workaholic is a person for whom work and career are the most important things in life. Family, recreation, entertainment fade into the background. And this is normal, because everyone has their own goals in life. But most psychologists have come to the conclusion that workaholism is injurious to health.

Opinions

Some believe that if a person works in the sweat of his brow, then he is unhappy. And he just hides behind his work. In rare cases, this is true - a person really copes with his problems, plunging into business with his head. But often this statement is wrong. Many people simply like to improve professionally and achieve success in their careers. It really brings joy.

And psychologists also assure that an overly hardworking person may not notice how he will harm himself. Lack of sleep, chronic overwork - all this can cause somatic or mental illness. There is some truth in this too. Still, sleep is the most important part of our life, necessary for maintaining health. But many workaholics forget about it, which sooner or later makes itself felt.

Psychology of Personality

A workaholic is a person just like everyone else. But with their own characteristics.

So, for example, it is difficult for him to switch to another activity, even if he has finished work. And if he does rest, thoughts of her do not allow him to completely relax. That is why he feels confident and energetic only during work. If he is not busy with anything fruitful and useful, then he has a feeling of irritation and dissatisfaction. An overly industrious person perceives the absence of affairs as laziness and idleness. And, of course, if he meets someone, then the conversation usually leads only about work.

Other qualities

In other words, a workaholic is a person for whom his professional activity is life. Many consider this feature abnormal. But it's actually pretty good. This means that this person goes to work as if it were a holiday. He likes her, he loves her and enjoys her. Many people would like to be the same. Why? Because the vast majority actually struggle to get up in the morning to reluctantly get dressed and go to work they hate, where they will look at the clock every 10 minutes, waiting for the end of the day. They do not like the salary, the boss irritates, they burden their duties. But for a workaholic, the opposite is true. He is successful, he has goals, prospects. Yes, it is difficult for him to relax and learn to be distracted from work. But if you want, you can achieve it. But to fall in love with a hated job and learn to enjoy it is much more difficult.

Signs of a workaholic

A person for whom his work is the meaning of life can be recognized by some features. He is stubborn - does not hesitate to focus on details and details. Sometimes such a person is overly detailed. He is distinguished by systemic thinking, well-developed logic and straightforwardness. Getting started is inspiring. When he starts any activity, he becomes more energetic and cheerful.

Often these people are afraid of the possibility of making a mistake. If they find any discrepancy, they begin to double-check everything from the very beginning. It is not uncommon for workaholics who work with someone on a team to behave strangely, according to others. They double-check what others have done, try to find an error, a typo, a blot. Others may perceive this as disrespect or distrust. But in fact, this quality is just the desire to make everything perfect. This sometimes interferes, but such is the specificity of a workaholic.

How to learn to rest?

Well, the above was briefly told about who a workaholic is. Or is it bad to be? There is no universal answer, since everyone has their own opinion on this matter. But one thing is certain. Rest is still necessary. And since it is difficult for a workaholic to do this, it is worth talking about how to learn to relax.

First, all things must be done in advance. If a person is an office worker, this is not difficult to implement. Reports, reports, projects - everything needs to be prepared in advance. A week or two ahead. This is how you get rid of intrusive thoughts about what needs to be done. Having carved out a few free days, you need to go to a place where nothing reminds you of labor activity. Since workaholics accumulate a lot of weekends and holidays, you can go abroad. This will affect any person. Even for the most avid workaholic. After all, in new country for him everything will be unfamiliar, interesting, and this will captivate him.

If such a prospect of relaxation does not seem tempting, then you can resort to another option. Namely - to a voluntary business trip. You can combine business with pleasure - go abroad for some long seminar or forum. This form of relaxation for a workaholic will be more familiar. It will benefit, but at the same time it will be distracted and dissipated.

Classification

Interestingly, workaholics are even divided into types. The first one is the most common in modern society. This is the so-called workaholic "for himself." He likes everything, and he does not look for any excuses for his fanatical love for own work. You can tell it's your way happy man. Most often, by the way, this is a workaholic man. Well, or a self-confident woman.

The second type is workaholics "for others". They would do well to become more relaxed and take time to rest, as they explain their desire to work hard by the desire to improve financial situation of his family. Or help the company.

The third type is "successful". Most often combined with the first. A successful workaholic goes to work like a holiday, and thanks to his qualities he achieves career heights.

The fourth type is the "loser". People who do any job. Whatever they were assigned. Petty, unnecessary, unimportant. At the same time, they try to do it as best as possible, but because of such trifles, they fail to achieve significant success.

And finally, the fifth type. Hidden workaholic. These people are quite interesting. They realize that their desire to work is too brightly expressed. They don't want others to see it. Therefore, in front of the rest, they assure that they hate their work and that they do not want to do it at all. Although in fact the opposite is true.

How to become a workaholic?

As mentioned above, many people would like to love their job and run to it with joy. You can become a workaholic, but this requires powerful motivation and work on yourself.

First, you need to awaken in yourself an interest in your activities. You need to fall in love with your work, set some goals, take on an unusual project. Deep down, a person should have a feeling that he really likes to work. This often helps to create the right atmosphere. Office worker, for example, may take on a project and stay at work for the night when everyone goes home. Be alone with yourself and the official atmosphere. It might awaken right thoughts, set up in a working mood, help to concentrate. A person, in the end, will feel like the owner of the office. In general, you need to love your work and make it more diverse.

Consequences

A fanatical desire to work, even going beyond workaholism, is fraught with serious consequences. It will not be easy, first of all, for the family members of such a person. Conflicts and even divorce are not ruled out. This can be understood because close person A workaholic needs attention, love and care. If he does not provide this soul mate, the relationship will be destroyed.

Due to lack of sleep and fatigue, diseases of the digestive and cardiovascular systems. It is not excluded the appearance mental disorders, stress, insomnia, paranoia. If a person really crossed all the boundaries of understanding workaholism and excessive love to work, he should think. Rest, healthy sleep, proper nutrition and spending time with your soulmate - all this should become an integral part of his life. If the situation is very deplorable, antidepressants will help. They are appointed by the appropriate specialist.

How to act relatives?

Fanatical workaholics rarely think about their special regard to work. Much more often it worries their loved ones. And they want to know how to convince the person they care about to relax more and take time for themselves.

Getting started on fixing a workaholic will be tricky. The first thing to learn is that in no case should you solve the problem with cries of hopelessness and tirades that a career will only aggravate the situation. You need to understand that work for a workaholic is the most important thing in his life. And accept it. You can not say those words that can hurt him. It is better to act by the method of bringing arguments and evidence. You can say the following: “Didn't you think that it would not hurt you to set aside a couple of days for yourself to rest? This would be a good idea. You will be able to gain strength to start working more productively and successfully. IN Lately your performance drops. Set aside a few days for yourself to unwind and relax. This will increase your chances of being productive.”

Such words will help to convince a person that he really could not hurt the rest. Because he will perceive relaxation not as a way to relieve tension, but as an investment in successful work.

Outcome

As you can see, workaholism is a very interesting and controversial topic. People who like their work are becoming rarer now. And, no matter what psychologists think about it, workaholism is more positive quality. But in everything there should be a measure. Because otherwise it will really be considered a disease. And the person will need serious help.

Workaholism is not a reason to be proud, but serious illness

Psychologist Marina Morozova

Recently, psychologists have not accidentally sounded the alarm about workaholism, because this is a serious illness, addiction, akin to alcoholism, which imperceptibly "burns" a person. A person "burns out", not even understanding because of what.

The danger of workaholism lies in the fact that a person does not realize that he has an addiction. He explains his workaholism with financial necessity, his hard work or love for this profession, the risk of losing his job (business). But in fact, these are all “excuses”, since a workaholic simply cannot live without work. He lives to work, not works to live.

To understand if you are a workaholic or not, check out psychological portrait workaholic.

Psychological portrait of a workaholic

1) The workaholic periodically or constantly stays late at work, takes work home, works on weekends and holidays.

2) The workaholic is constantly in a state of lack of time.

3) It is difficult for such a person to switch to something else, he cannot talk about anything other than work.

4) It is difficult for a workaholic to derive joy and satisfaction from anything other than work. A workaholic feels good only at work or thinking about work. If he does not work, he feels dissatisfaction and irritation, boredom and discomfort. It is natural that at work the workaholic "shines", and at home, on the contrary, he is gloomy, withdrawn and gloomy.

5) He does not know how to rest (that is, when he is resting, he is uncomfortable or bored). On vacation and at home, such a person thinks and worries about work. The workaholic does not understand the meaning of rest and does not experience the joy of rest.

6) A workaholic’s efficiency decreases over time, although he tries to do everything quickly and efficiently, absent-mindedness and inattention appear, due to which mistakes in work often occur. Compared to other people, his work efficiency is reduced.

7) Finishing some business, he feels dissatisfaction because it ends, and therefore immediately think about new project, plan the next business day.

8) The workaholic strives for constant success and approval from others. Working hard and hard, he tries to earn love and gratitude. He expects from relatives the recognition of his merits. But, as a rule, no one appreciates his efforts, on the contrary, relatives are constantly offended by him because he is not next to them.

9) He sets high goals for himself, which he cannot achieve, and makes excessive demands on himself (and others).

10) Failure / crisis at work, dismissal, retirement is perceived by the workaholic as a disaster.

11) A workaholic does not know how to relax, he is in tension all the time

12) The workaholic avoids the nightmarish state of "doing nothing"

13) Books, movies, shows and concerts irritate him.

14) A workaholic reads only specialized literature or does not read at all.

15) He has an attitude that not having a job is sloppiness. The workaholic condemns idlers and lazy people. Anyone who works less than him, he considers lazy. At the same time, he is afraid to be worse than others, to be known as a lazy person and a bad professional.

16) In the presence of subordinates, workaholics-managers perform most of the tasks themselves, because they do not know how and do not want to distribute them among subordinates (“I will do everything better”, “They can’t do it without me”).

A workaholic is a man of duty. For him, the word "duty" is not an empty phrase. The workaholic is characterized by the words: “it is necessary”, “I must”, “who but me?”, “no one will do it but me”, “there is such a word “it is necessary”, “if not me, then who”.

This is a hyper-responsible, obligatory person when it comes to work. At home, in the family, he can be irresponsible and optional.

The workaholic works selflessly. He belongs to the hyper-giving type of people, that is, he gives people, the world more than he receives. He does not know how to accept and receive attention, care, love.

He suffers from hyperfunctionality, that is, he is overly active and businesslike. Often does more than is necessary and more than asked.

A workaholic is a perfectionist, an "excellent student", which means that he strives for perfection in his work - everything must certainly be done on the "five". That is why he often makes extra, unnecessary work or remakes the same thing, bringing the already finished to perfection.

As a rule, it seems to a workaholic that everything rests on him, he drags the whole burden of worries, other people are lazy and loafers, but in fact, his efficiency is lower than that of the rest.

He takes on more and more tasks that one person cannot cope with, as he is very afraid of being branded as a lazy person.

Workaholic women are dominated by male energy, it is difficult for such women to arrange a personal life, create and even more so save a family.

To get rid of workaholism, a workaholic needs to realize that he is a workaholic, and understand why he works so hard.

As a rule, by hard, hard work, he seeks to win the love and approval of others. Otherwise, he does not know how to get it. It seems to him that it is precisely for diligence and material support he will be appreciated, loved and thanked.

But in fact, it is an illusion that love can be received in this way. Love is generally impossible to win or earn.

Over time, loved ones begin to annoy permanent absence workaholic at home, inability to spend weekends or vacations together. Gradually lost emotional contact and relationships, even the most beautiful ones, are destroyed.

But the workaholic has many hidden benefits to work, work, work.

Let's see what those benefits are.

1) A workaholic gets high from a job well done.

2) At work, he realizes himself and his abilities, his mission.

3) Work is a place where he feels "on a horse", that is, significant, necessary, necessary, successful.

4) Here he achieves real success (especially in the first stage of workaholism)

5) This is his way of raising his self-esteem. As a rule, it is low among workaholics.

6) Working hard, he receives approval and praise from others.

7) Most workaholics reach a high material level.

Maybe you have some other unique benefits of your own. Think about it.

And, of course, while there are benefits, it is impossible to part with workaholism. But if you want, you can work it all out in an online training.

There are several types of workaholics.

Workaholic enthusiast

A workaholic enthusiast is in love with his favorite business, without which he cannot live. This is his mission and purpose, his meaning of life. And he gives all his strength to his beloved work. In the first stage of workaholism, his work is constructive, and he can achieve great success. But then the second stage comes, and after it the third, the person burns out.

Workaholic for others

A workaholic for others sincerely believes that he works for and for the sake of the family, children, so that they do not need anything in order to buy an apartment, and then a house, to give a good education children. But to achieve all these goals, it is not necessary to work so hard. His relatives do not need so much money, they would prefer communication and joint vacation. Relatives suffer because of his workaholism. Such a workaholic does not realize himself as a workaholic, and does not understand that he is sick.

Reluctant workaholic

A workaholic involuntarily may love or dislike his work, in any case, he consciously does not want to overwork and stay at work, but this is customary at his place of work. “Everyone is late, and I am late”, “It’s customary for us”, “I can’t leave before the boss, and he sits until 10 pm.”

That is, from his point of view, he is not a workaholic, but such a boss, or circumstances force him to linger. Such a person is in the position of a victim and quickly "burns out".

He is a workaholic for fear of losing his job. Surprisingly, when changing jobs, he again has to stay late. Therefore, such a workaholic should think about how he always finds a reason for workaholism, and why he needs it. What is he running from?

Workaholic - careerist

Behind his labor zeal lies the goal - to make a career, to achieve power. A workaholic careerist tries to curry favor with his superiors, demonstrates his achievements in every possible way, wants to be noticed. This is an ambitious person, and he achieves his goals.

He literally lives at work, except that he does not spend the night there (although this sometimes happens). Only at work, he often does not have time to create a family or loses the family that he has.

Workaholic loser

A workaholic loser works in a low-paid and unpromising job. Over time, he himself realizes the meaninglessness of his activities, but this helps him fill the void, escape from reality and solving problems in which he understands worse than in his work.

Hidden Workaholic

The hidden workaholic cannot live without work, but hides it because he realizes that he has an addiction. Often he complains that he has a lot of work, how tired he is of her and how he wants to relax.

Workaholic

A workaholic rush worker always unconsciously creates rush jobs. This is due to the inability to properly organize work time and delegate responsibilities. Such people tend to spend most of their time on meaningless conversations, calls and other insignificant trifles, and leave the important for later.

As a result, a person drives himself into a state of temporary time pressure. But it is this state of emergency that brings him satisfaction, so he unconsciously creates it.

Often such people do not meet the deadlines, or if they deliver the project on time, then the quality suffers because of the haste.

If you are in doubt whether you are a workaholic, then go

The twentieth century brought to life a previously unknown type - a workaholic woman, a careerist. Where do they come from? Is workaholism a disease?

Long gone are the days when a man ran through the fields and forests for a mammoth, and a woman sat in a cave, kept the fire going and carved the book “One Hundred Mammoth Dishes” on a stone. Gone are the days when a man chased Saracens through the deserts and dunes, and a woman sat at the window, embroidered a cross on his cloak for him and waited for him to return, marry her and she would bear him twenty children. Or she won’t return, and she will have to go to the monastery, according to materials from the Mail.ru website.

Nowadays, a woman herself will stop a galloping mammoth and tear off its trunk. We're proud of it, aren't we? Try to go to any women's forum, timidly declare that you want not to work, stay at home and live at the expense of a man. And then stock up on popcorn and watch the scandal escalate. IN best case you will be pitied like a miserable kluch. In the most likely - will be branded with shame, as a kept woman. They will explain to you in an accessible way that a working woman is normal, it deserves respect and, in general, this is the path of self-realization. That a woman should look like a lady, think like a man, and work like a draft horse. Who owes?.. Eee... mmm...

One way or another, the twentieth century brought to life a previously unknown type - a workaholic woman, a careerist.

Immediately make a reservation that hard work in the old days often fell to the lot of women. Open Nekrasov: they milked a cow, and walked on water, and stinging rye. But the cow and the rye are urgent worries, a vital necessity the key to family survival. Now, in order not to die of hunger, it is enough to work at least as a cleaner. However, women are rushing up the career ladder, sleeping three hours a night and seeing their own children for years only through big holidays. Why? For what?

Psychologists give many explanations, but agree on one thing: workaholism is a deviation from the norm, " alarm bell". A workaholic is not just a person loaded with work. Between strongly busy worker and a workaholic the same abyss as between a person drinking champagne on New Year, and a drunkard.

How did you get to this life?

Workaholism is a disease, and like any other addiction, it does not arise from scratch. Of course, financial problems are one of the most common causes, according to which a woman begins to “live” at work, gradually getting more and more involved in this process. For example, she is faced with the need to arrange her life after a divorce. However desired goal, seems to have been achieved: after hard work, she receives the prosperity that she initially aspired to, but the woman can no longer stop. Because with the growth of opportunities, the needs also grow - and to meet new needs, new money is needed, a bonus, high interest from transactions, new position, a new step in a career - and so on ad infinitum. If for men material wealth- First of all, a means of personal self-affirmation, then a woman perceives everything through the prism of the family: income-generating work is a guarantee of the comfortable existence of her children, even if the children are still only in the plans. Such workaholism on financial grounds is especially acute, of course, in women who do not feel close to strong male shoulder. They are either lonely or cannot fully rely on their man. It's easier for them to take everything on themselves. “I am a horse, I am a bull ...” - a rude but well-aimed Russian proverb about such workaholics.

However, it also happens that a woman who has a reliable everyday “rear” and male support becomes dependent on work. However, if you look closely, it is easy to find a whole bunch of reasons for disappearing at work - no longer material, but purely psychological.

Perhaps she is desperately trying to prove her worth to someone - a man or parents. Sometimes it also happens that the parents are no longer in the world, and they have not seen this man for ten years, but the installation is still alive, everything works and drives the woman to new round, and the end of this race is not foreseen, because the competition is not with a specific opponent, but with your own subconscious. Complexes are a cruel thing.

Workaholism is a lonely disease...

Lonely and unhappy personal life women also often fill the void in the soul with work. This common type of sublimation has not yet been canceled.

The desire for equality is also a powerful incentive. Mammoth is mammoth, but it's boring! A woman wants to be on an equal footing with a man, to arouse his interest and respect not only with culinary arts. Moreover, there are so many successful business women around, against whose background it is so easy to get lost. In general, it is still unknown what is more harmful for the female psyche - workaholism or a stagnant swamp in which there is no opportunity for self-realization, to establish itself. Both are fraught with depression, breakdowns and neuroses.

By the way, about business women walking around. Competition in the female environment is almost sharper and more ruthless than in the male. Woman with early years learns that its purpose is to constantly improve. She must lose weight, take care of herself, dye her hair and learn to walk in high heels. get higher education and Good work. Be no worse than others. And then it will be possible to build a happy and harmonious life. In this respect, competitive workaholism is similar to anorexia. As a rule, all anorexics go on the first diet in order to be self-confident and like men. But over time, they lose their measure, the original attitudes fade into the background and disappear altogether. Exhausting women may be well aware that most men are not attracted to walking skeletons. But now this only irritates them: what do these men understand in female beauty! So it is with workaholism: a happy and harmonious life is being postponed and postponed, because every day there are new projects and tasks at work, there is absolutely no time. What was a means to an end has become an end in itself.

There is also such a phenomenon as the “excellent student syndrome”. A woman who is accustomed to being the most competent and professional cannot afford to relax, let herself go: she is terribly afraid of making a mistake, of seeing the disapproval of her superiors. She always does everything brilliantly at the cost of total immersion in her work. Interestingly, “A” students rarely make a career and can sit in an inconspicuous position for years, performing the duties of half of their department alone, in this case it is especially obvious that workaholism is a disease of unfulfillment.

"A student syndrome" is most directly related to the pathological dependence on work. This addiction is often associated with fear of real life. This is understandable: at work, a workaholic is in his element, he knows all the moves and exits, he is the most valuable and irreplaceable, he controls the situation. But as soon as he crosses the threshold - and he finds himself in the real world, full control which even the best professional cannot take into their own hands.

Don't forget what you are working for! Work is secondary. In the first place should always be happiness and harmony in life for you and your loved ones.