Cesare Pavese reminds us through his poetic story that “Working is tiring”. Professional identity is becoming an increasingly important component for people. Work, from being a tiring tool for subsistence, a metaphor for existential fatigue according to the Piedmontese writer, is becoming a space for realization and affirmation.
It is thus loaded with new meaningsof deep connections with self-esteem and a sense of identity. It thus also becomes a source of deep fears. We will try to define the characteristics of ergophobia by analyzing its causes, symptoms and possible strategies to deal with it.
What is Ergophobia?
The term comes from two Greek words: ergon (work) e phobia (fear) (Cavallini, 2022). It is used to indicate a specific phobia that takes the form of an irrational and constant fear of work and the responsibilities associated with it. Although it does not find space in the diagnostic and statistical manual edited by the American Psychiatric Association, it is an increasingly observed condition.
It can express a specific impact on personal and professional life by presenting itself in the form of fear of starting a new job, fear of not being up to par, anxiety linked to the work environment, fear of making mistakes and losing career and growth opportunities.
The causes of ergophobia between individual and environmental factors
Stressful or traumatic situations experienced in the work context can be seen as environmental causes of ergophobia. Having suffered situations of mobbing (phenomenon that involves isolation, devaluation of the worker through demotion and assignment of degrading tasks), excessive pressure with the emphasis on performance and performance, traumatic events (discrimination, dismissals and burnout) can favor the onset of this particular type of phobia.
As regards the individual factors on the development of ergophobia, personal characteristics such as the predisposition to anxious traits, the sensitivity to the judgment of othersthe difficulty in maintaining an adequate balance between work and private life.
Work phobia produces avoidance behaviors by triggering a vicious circle with consequences on self-esteem and the perception of not being up to par. In fact, the greater the tendency to avoid tasks and objectives, the more the sense of inadequacy increases.
How to recognize ergophobia? Symptoms of fear of work
Among the main symptoms useful for recognizing this particular condition are:
- Anxiety and panic attacks;
- Tachycardia, sweating and tremors;
- Tension and stress;
- Difficulty concentrating;
- Irritability and insomnia;
- Avoidance behaviors with increased absenteeism, loss of self-esteem and even giving up work.
If the presence of these symptoms is prolonged over time, it may be useful to contact a mental health professional for further investigation.
What are the tools to evaluate the presence and impact of ergophobia?
Mental health professionals, psychologists and psychotherapists, but also general practitioners or specialists (for example an occupational doctor or psychiatrist) will be able to evaluate the presence of symptoms related to work phobia through a clinical interview. The dialogue with the professional is useful to allow the collection of the medical history, to delve into personal and relational aspects, individual strengths and weaknesses and the working context, to highlight any symptoms and detect their severity, to analyze the working context with respect to any conditions of stress, mobbing, conflict.
Specific tests can also be administered which allow us to delve deeper into issues that emerged during the interview. Questionnaires and self-assessment scales are designed to measure various aspects of worry and stress at work, providing concrete and objective data.
For example, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) can reveal signs of work-related emotional exhaustion, while other tools can help quantify the level of social or performance worry. Clinical in-depth analysis through interviews and testing tools can allow us to reflect on the condition of anxiety related to work to understand whether it is an isolated and contingent episode or a real phobia.
How to deal with Ergophobia?
A psychological support intervention or a course of psychotherapy can represent valid tools for dealing with work phobia. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be useful in highlighting dysfunctional thoughts that promote anxiety, but also in highlighting coping strategies useful for dealing with situations that create excessive worry.
Refiguring and restructuring the cognitive representation of tasks, objectives and work environment can favor a clear reduction in fear and negative thoughts related to work.
Think about it communication strategies and of relationships with colleagues it can allow the promotion of well-being in the working and organizational context. In some cases, psychotherapy can be integrated, under the supervision of a doctor, with targeted pharmacotherapy.
Strategies for managing Ergophobia
From a practical point of view, the following strategies can be useful in managing irrational and constant worry about work:
- Planning of tasks and achievable goals;
- Self-awareness about personal limits and resources;
- Adequate management of times and daily routines;
- Relaxation and breathing techniques can represent a first pragmatic approach to the strong worry that is triggered when thinking about work;
- Seek support in your network of family, friends and colleagues.
What can companies and employers do?
Institutions, organizations, companies and employers can play a fundamental role in promoting the creation and maintenance of a work environment based on well-being. Training becomes a precious tool to allow you to understand the risks associated with stress, to encourage adequate communication and relationship methods between colleagues, to prevent situations of conflict, overload and pressure.
Working is tiring, but… it shouldn’t be scary.
The weight of work in people’s lives is undoubtedly changed. It is no longer just a matter of daily fatigue, but of a fundamental dimension of developing one’s identity. For this reason, work can be filled with pressures, fears and worries that can lead to a real phobia.
Recognizing the symptoms of an irrational and persistent fear related to work can be fundamental to activating the resources necessary to deal with a delicate condition from a psychological point of view.
A path of support or psychotherapy can encourage the creation of an empathic listening space in which to explore individual strengths and critical points, resources and limitations of the working context, in which to analyze dysfunctional thoughts and representations that favor the onset of anxiety. Getting back to feeling well-being at work is essential because working is tiring, but it shouldn’t be scary.
