The Greatest Socially Accepted Problem

1. Workaholism: Praised or the Plague of School
Administrators?
Dr. Jack McKay, Professor of Educational Administration,
University of Nebraska at Omaha

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Table of Contents
Background........................................................................ 3
Defining Workaholic .......................................................... 3
Implications for the Family................................................ 4

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Background
The subject of workaholism is somewhat neglected as an
area of serious concern by school administrators and policy
makers because it are difficult to define and is even
considered an asset rather than a liability. In the health
profession, workaholism is the best-dressed mental health
problem of the leadership and managerial professions. This
article will show that workaholism, the addiction to work, is a
disease that can inhibits school leadership efforts, ruins
promising professional careers, and can be harmful to
colleagues as well as immediate family members.
Defining Workaholic
Workaholism is defined as an obsessive-compulsive
disorder that manifests itself through self-imposed demands,
an inability to regulate work habits, and an over indulgence
in work to the exclusion of normal life activities. The term is
similar to alcoholism because the two addictions are
believed to have common behavior patterns. The four
addictions are:
… Progressive in nature,
… An unconscious attempt to resolve unmet psychological
needs,
… Can lead to an unmanageable life,
… Cause family disintegration,
… Result in health PROBLEMS that can lead to anxiety and
depression.

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Work highs, like alcoholic euphoria, run a cycle of
adrenaline-charged work binges that are followed by
exhaustion similar to alcoholic hangovers. Workaholism
creates health problems, failed marriages, endangered
careers and can result in mental health issues with other
family members.
Researchers on workaholism have found that workaholics
have greater tendencies toward depression, anxiety and
anger. They have feelings of inferiority, fear of failure, an
inability to deal with unresolved issues and strong
tendencies toward perfection (Haymon, 1993; Machlowitz,
1980).
Implications for the Family
The workaholic’s impact on there family is also a major
problem. Bryan Robinson (1988) found that spouses and
children become extensions of the workaholic’s ego, usually
leading to family conflict. Spouses and children feel unloved,
lonely, isolated, and emotionally and physically abandoned.
Another study found that the workaholic’s children are faced
with excessively high demands for achievement. During
family conflicts, the workaholic would avoid confrontations by
becoming silent.
Workaholics tend to abdicate their role in their children’s
development. If they do become involved, it usually is only to
check on the child’s progress towards perfection in whatever
has been undertaken. Follow-up studies suggest that
children of workaholics carry the legacy of the workaholic
parent, such as an external sense of control and approval-

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seeking behavior to meet other adult expectations. Different
from the alcoholic with the bottle to blame, the workaholic’s
family faces exclusion because there is no item to blame.