Workism
Workism is a term describing excessive devotion to work ethic, so much that it defines a person's purpose in life. The term was coined by American journalist Derek Thompson, in a 2019 article for The Atlantic magazine. Workism may come across as cult-like because of the burden being put on workists to present themselves positively, the use of groupthink, having work dictate their relationships and thinking, and the pursuit of an idealised outcome that may be unrealistic. Workism may be experienced as oppressive by both working and non-working people. Workist attitudes may develop in the context of a historically Protestant work ethic, or independently as a heuristic bias redeeming hustle culture, in which people try to justify the immense sacrifices they have made to maintain and advance their careers, rather than the reason they started making those sacrifices. It is also claimed that workism has trickled down from the top, for whom this disposition makes more sense. Workism takes after, but is distinct from productivism and producerism. Producerism focuses on the merit of what is being produced, through any means, while workism focuses on the merit of accomplishing or earning something through work. Productivism is like workism, but more easily praises non-work activities, assuming that those non-work activities produce something of tangible value, or lead to it.
Workism is a term describing excessive devotion to work ethic, so much that it defines a person's purpose in life. The term was coined by American journalist Derek Thompson, in a 2019 article for The Atlantic magazine.[1][2][3]
Workism may come across as cult-like because of the burden being put on workists to present themselves positively, the use of groupthink, having work dictate their relationships and thinking, and the pursuit of an idealised outcome that may be unrealistic. Workism may be experienced as oppressive by both working and non-working people.[3] Workist attitudes may develop in the context of a historically Protestant work ethic, or independently as a heuristic bias redeeming hustle culture, in which people try to justify the immense sacrifices they have made to maintain and advance their careers, rather than the reason they started making those sacrifices.[4] It is also claimed that workism has trickled down from the top, for whom this disposition makes more sense.[5]
Workism takes after, but is distinct from productivism and producerism. Producerism focuses on the merit of what is being produced, through any means, while workism focuses on the merit of accomplishing or earning something through work. Productivism is like workism, but more easily praises non-work activities, assuming that those non-work activities produce something of tangible value, or lead to it.
Work martyr
[edit]A person who puts work before their own time and health may be called a 'work martyr'. Work martyrs typically experience gratification from work and outperform others, but may be unable to delegate or unplug from work.[6][7]
See also
[edit]- Achievement ideology – Concept in sociology
- Anarchism – Political philosophy and movement
- Bedtime procrastination – Psychological phenomenon
- Effort justification – Overvaluing of effortful achievements
- Escalation of commitment – Human behavior pattern in which the participant takes on increasing risk
- Iron cage – Concept in sociology
- Producerism – Belief that workers benefit society more than those who get wealth through other means
- Productivism – Primacy of productivity and growth
- Protestant work ethic – Social-theologic concept
- Work ethic – Belief in the virtues of labor
Notes
[edit]- ^ Hess, AJ (Apr 4, 2023). "How 'workism' replaced religion". Fast Company. Retrieved Aug 8, 2023.
- ^ Tracinski, Robert (January 31, 2022). "In Defense of "Workism"". Discourse.
- ^ a b Thompson, Derek (February 24, 2019). "Workism Is Making Americans Miserable". The Atlantic.
- ^ Griffith, Erin (2019-01-26). "Why Are Young People Pretending to Love Work?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ Lepore, Jill (2021-01-11). "What's Wrong with the Way We Work". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ "5 Warning Signs You Are Becoming A Work Martyr". HuffPost UK. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ Wilding, Melody (2017). "10 Signs That You've Become a 'Work Martyr 'There's a new type of workaholism: the 'work martyr'".
References
[edit]- "How I am stepping back from workism to nurture my broader ambitions". www.science.org.
- Levs, Josh. "The dangers of "workism"". Strategy+business.
- Horton, Adrian (March 31, 2022). "Hustle harder: how TV became obsessed with stories of workism". The Guardian.
- "Workism Isn't Working | Michael Toscano". First Things. February 2022.
- ""Workism" : identité et travail, la pandémie a-t-elle rompu le lien ? | Welcome to the Jungle". www.welcometothejungle.com.
- Collins, Luke (February 9, 2023). "The workism con: On Gen Z, quiet quitting, and work-life balance".
- Douthat, Ross (January 27, 2023). "Opinion | Is 'Workism' Dooming Civilization? Notes on the New Pew Parents Study". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- DeRose, Lyman Stone, Laurie (May 5, 2021). "What Workism Is Doing to Parents". The Atlantic.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Hammerton, Matthew (2025). "What is Wrong with Workism?". Journal of Applied Philosophy. doi:10.1111/japp.12783.