Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T20:51:31.535Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

22 - Prevention and Treatment of Work Addiction

from Part IV - Prevention and Treatment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2020

Steve Sussman
Affiliation:
University of Southern California
Get access

Summary

This chapter provides an overview of the key areas of agreement and debate about workaholism, particularly its conceptualization, prevention, and treatment. The chapter integrates biomedical and health psychology perspectives with a view to challenging and advancing understanding on how to prevent people from developing a problematic relationship with work, and how best to support those experiencing the problem. The chapter begins by reviewing the conceptualization of workaholism, and then reviews the existing evidence concerning the main correlates and vulnerability factors. This discussion then leads to an exploration into alternative ways that workaholism can be theorized, in particular biopsychosocial models and critical theory of addiction. Building upon this combined theoretical perspective, the chapter ends by reviewing and speculating on different aspects of prevention and treatment according to the different stakeholders involved.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allegre, B., Souville, M., Therme, P. & Griffiths, M. (2006). Definitions and measures of exercise dependence. Addiction Research & Theory, 14(6), 631646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychiatric Association [APA] (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Andreassen, C. S. (2014). Workaholism: an overview and current status of the research. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 3, 111.Google Scholar
Andreassen, C. S., Griffiths, M. D., Hetland, J., et al. (2014). The prevalence of workaholism: A survey study in a nationally representative sample of Norwegian employees. PLoS ONE, 9, e102446. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0102446Google Scholar
Andreassen, C. S., Griffiths, M. D., Hetland, J. & Pallesen, S. (2012a). Development of a work addiction scaleScandinavian Journal of Psychology53(3), 265272.Google Scholar
Andreassen, C. S., Griffiths, M. D., Sinha, R., Hetland, J. & Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationships between workaholism and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional studyPLoS ONE11(5), e0152978.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Andreassen, C. S., Tosheim, T., BrunBerg, G. S. & Pallesen, S. (2012b). Development of a Facebook Addiction Scale. Psychological Reports, 110, 501517.Google Scholar
Billieux, J.Philippot, P.Schmid, C., et al. M. (2015). Is dysfunctional use of the mobile phone a behavioural addiction? Confronting symptom-based versus process-based approachesClinical Psychology and Psychotherapy22460468.Google Scholar
Brown, R. I. F. (1993). Some contributions of the study of gambling to the study of other addictions. In Eadington, W. R. & Cornelius, J. (Eds.), Gambling Behavior and Problem Gambling. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, pp. 241272.Google Scholar
Carroll, J. J. & Robinson, B. E. (2000). Parentification and depression among adult children of workaholics and adult children of alcoholics. The Family Journal, 8, 360367.Google Scholar
Chen, C. P. (2006). Improving work–life balance: REBT for workaholic treatment. Research companion to working time and work addiction. In Burke, R. J. (Ed.), Research Companion to Working Time and Work Addiction. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, pp. 310329.Google Scholar
Clark, M. A., Michel, J. S., Zhdanova, L., Pui, S. Y. & Baltes, B. B. (2016). All work and no play? A meta-analytic examination of the correlates and outcomes of workaholismJournal of Management, 42(7), 18361873.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Carlo, N. A., Falco, A., Pierro, A., et al. (2014). Regulatory mode orientations and well-being in an organizational setting: the differential mediating roles of workaholism and work engagement. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 44, 725738.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Jonge, J., Shimazu, A. & Dollard, M. (2018). Short-term and long-term effects of off-job activities on recovery and sleep: A two-wave panel study among health care employeesInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health15(9), 2044.Google Scholar
Del Líbano, M., Llorens, S., Salanova, M. & Schaufeli, W. B. (2012). About the dark and bright sides of self-efficacy: Workaholism and work engagement. Spanish Journal of Psychology15(2), 688701.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flowers, C. P. & Robinson, B. (2002). A structural and discriminant analysis of the work addiction risk test. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 62, 517526.Google Scholar
Grant, J. E., Potenza, M. N., Weinstein, A. & Gorelick, D. A. (2010). Introduction to behavioral addictions. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 36, 233241.Google Scholar
Griffiths, M. D. (2002). Gambling and Gaming Addictions in Adolescence. Leicester: BPS Blackwell.Google Scholar
Griffiths, M. D. (2005). A components model of addiction within a biopsychological framework. Journal of Substance Use, 10, 191197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Workaholism: A 21st century addiction. The Psychologist: Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, 24, 740744.Google Scholar
Griffiths, M. D. & Karanika-Murray, M. (2012). Contextualising over-engagement in work: Towards a more global understanding of workaholism as an addictionJournal of Behavioral Addictions1(3), 8795.Google Scholar
Griffiths, M. D., Demetrovics, Z. & Atroszko, P. A. (2018). Ten myths about work addiction. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7(4), 845857.Google Scholar
Hakanen, J. & Peeters, M. (2015). How do work engagement, workaholism, and the work-to-family interface affect each other? A 7-year follow-up studyJournal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine57(6), 601609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamermesh, D. S. & Slemrod, J. B. (2008). The economics of workaholism: We should not have worked on this paper. The BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 8(1). doi:10.2202/1935-1682.1793Google Scholar
Kanai, A. & Mitsuru, M. (2004). Effects of economic environmental changes on job demands and workaholism in Japan. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 17, 537548.Google Scholar
Kelliher, C. & Anderson, D. (2010). Doing more with less? Flexible working practices and the intensification of workHuman Relations63(1), 83106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMillan, L. H. W., Brady, E. C., O’Driscoll, M. P. & Marsh, N. V. (2002). A multifaceted validation study of Spence and Robbins’ (1992) workaholism battery. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, 75, 357368.Google Scholar
Molino, M., Bakker, A. B. & Ghislieri, C. (2016). The role of workaholism in the job demands-resources modelAnxiety, Stress, & Coping29, 400414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mudrack, P. E. (2006). Understanding workaholism: The case for behavioral tendencies. In Burke, R. J. (Ed.), Research Companion to Working Time and Work Addiction. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 108128.Google Scholar
Ng, T. W. H., Sorensen, K. L. & Feldman, D. C. (2007). Dimensions, antecedents, and consequences of workaholism: A conceptual integration and extension. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28, 111136.Google Scholar
Oates, W. (1971). Confessions of a Workaholic: The Facts about Work Addiction. New York: World.Google Scholar
Orford, J. (2001). Conceptualizing addiction: Addiction as excessive appetite. Addiction, 96, 1531.Google Scholar
Piotrowski, C. & Vodanovich, S. J. (2008). The Workaholism Syndrome: An emerging issue in the psychological literatureJournal of Instructional Psychology, 35(1), 103105.Google Scholar
Quinones, C. (2016). The 'always on' workplace: Risks, opportunities and how to make it work. HR Magazine, February 16. Available at: www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/the-always-on-workplace-risks-opportunities-and-how-to-make-it-workGoogle Scholar
Quinones, C. (2017). Does intense ICT use after work help or hinder psychological recovery? The shifting landscape of work and working lives. Conference paper number: CIPD/ARC/2016/1 retrieved November 1, 2018, from: www.cipd.co.uk/learn/events-networks/applied-research-conferenceGoogle Scholar
Quinones, C. & Griffiths, M. (2015). Addiction to work: A critical review of the workaholism construct and recommendations for assessment. Journal of Psychiatric Nursing, 53(10), 4859.Google Scholar
Quinones, C. & Griffiths, M. D. (2019). Reducing compulsive Internet use and anxiety symptoms via two brief interventions: A comparison between mindfulness and gradual muscle relaxationJournal of Behavioral Addictions8(3), 530536.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quinones, C., Griffiths, M. & Kakabadse, N. (2016). Compulsive Internet use and workaholism: An exploratory two-wave longitudinal study. Computers in Human Behaviour, 60, 492499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reinarman, C. & Granfield, R. (2015). Addiction is not just a brain disease: Critical studies of addiction. In Granfield, R. & Reinarman, C. (Eds.), Expanding Addictions. Critical Essays. New York: Routledge, pp. 121.Google Scholar
Robinson, B. E. (1999). The Work Addiction Risk Test: Development of a tentative measure of workaholism. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 88, 199210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, B. E. (2013). Chained to the Desk: A Guidebook for Workaholics, their Partners and Children, and the Clinicians who Treat Them (3rd edition). New York: New York University PressGoogle Scholar
Robinson, B. E., Carroll, J. J. & Flowers, C. (2001). Marital estrangement, positive affect, and locus of control among spouses of workaholics and spouses of nonworkaholics: A national study. American Journal of Family Therapy, 29, 397410.Google Scholar
Sharone, O. (2004). Engineering overwork: Bell-curve management at a high-tech firm. In Fuchs Epstein, C., & Kalleberg, A. L. (Eds.), Fighting for Time: Shifting Boundaries of Work and Social Life. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, pp. 191218.Google Scholar
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., van der Heijden, F. M. M. A. & Prins, J. T. (2009a). Workaholism among medical residents: It is the combination of working excessively and compulsively that counts. International Journal of Stress Management, 16, 249272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaufeli, W. B., Shimazu, A. & Taris, T. W. (2009b). Being driven to work excessively hard: The evaluation of a two-factor measure of workaholism in the Netherlands and Japan. Cross-Cultural Research, 43, 320348.Google Scholar
Schaufeli, W. B., Taris, T. W. & Bakker, A. (2006). Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide: On the differences between work engagement and workaholism. In Burke, R. J. (Ed.), Research Companion to Working Time and Work Addiction. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, pp. 193217.Google Scholar
Schwartz, S. H. (2010). Basic values: How they motivate and inhibit prosocial behavior. In Mikulincer, M. & Shaver, P. R. (Eds.), Prosocial Motives, Emotions, and Behavior: The Better Angels of our Nature. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 221241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shimazu, A., Schaufeli, W. B., Kubota, K. & Kawakam, N. (2012). Do workaholism and work engagement predict employee well-being and performance in opposite directions? Industrial Health, 50, 316321.Google Scholar
Shimazu, A., Schaufeli, W. B., Kamiyama, K. & Kawakami, N. (2015). Workaholism vs. work engagement: The two different predictors of future well-being and performance. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 22(1),1823.Google Scholar
Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W. & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). The treatment of workaholism with meditation awareness training: A case studyExplore: The Journal of Science and Healing10(3), 193195.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snir, R. & Harpaz, I. (2012). Beyond workaholism: Towards a general model of heavy work investmentHuman Resource Management Review, 22, 232243.Google Scholar
Spence, J. T. & Robbins, A. S. (1992). Workaholism: Definition, measurement, and preliminary results. Journal of Personality Assessment, 58, 160178.Google Scholar
Suissa, A. J. (2014). Cyberaddictions: Toward a psychosocial perspectiveAddictive Behaviors39, 19141918.Google Scholar
Sussman, S. (2012). Workaholism: A review. Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy, S6, 1–10. doi:10.4172/2155-6105.S6-001Google Scholar
Sussman, S. (2017). Substance and Behavioral Addictions: Concepts, Causes, and Cures. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sussman, S. & Pakdaman, S. (2020). Appetitive needs and addiction. In Sussman, S. (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Substance and Behavioral Addictions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 312.Google Scholar
Sussman, S., Arpawong, T. E. M., Sun, P., et al. (2014). Prevalence and co-occurrence of addictive behaviors among former alternative high school youth. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 3(1), 3340.Google Scholar
Sussman, S., Lisha, N. & Griffiths, M. (2011). Prevalence of the addictions: A problem of the majority or the minority? Evaluation and the Health Professions, 34(1), 356.Google Scholar
Van Wijhe, C. I., Peeters, M. C. & Schaufeli, W. B. (2014). Enough is enough: Cognitive antecedents of workaholism and its aftermathHuman Resource Management53(1), 157177.Google Scholar
Van Wijhe, C. I., Schaufeli, W. & Peeters, M. C. W. (2010). Understanding and treating workaholism: Setting the stage for successful interventions. In Cooper, C. L. & Burke, R. J. (Eds.), Psychological and Behavioural Risks at Work. Farham: Ashgate, pp. 107134.Google Scholar
Van Beek, I., Hu, Q., Schaufeli, W. B., Taris, T. W. & Schreurs, B. H. J. (2012). For fun, love, or money: What drives workaholic, engaged, and burned-out employees at work? Applied Psychology, 61, 3055.Google Scholar
Van den Broeck, A., Schreurs, B., De Witte, H., et al. (2011). Understanding workaholics’ motivations: A self-determination perspective. Applied Psychology, 60, 600621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Der Linden, M. (2015). Commentary on: Are we overpathologizing everyday life? A tenable blueprint for behavioral addiction research: Addictions as a psychosocial and cultural constructionJournal of Behavioral Addictions4(3), 145147.Google Scholar
Villella, C., Martinotti, G.Di NicolaM., et al. (2011). Behavioural addictions in adolescents and young adults: Results from a prevalence study. Journal of Gambling Studies, 27, 203214.Google Scholar
Widyanto, L. & Griffiths, M. D. (2006). Internet addiction: A critical review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 4, 3151.Google Scholar
Yaniv, G. (2011). Workaholism and marital estrangement: A rational-choice perspective. Mathematical Social Sciences, 61, 104108.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×