Personnalité et activisme professionnel

Abstract

BackgroundThe Compulsive Tendency to work assessed with the Workaholism Battery WorBAT of Spence and Robbins is, in the literature, correlated with Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to experience. The Job satisfaction's dimension is correlated with Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. However, no research to date studied the links between the facets of these personality traits and the different profiles of workaholics (no workaholic, enthusiastic workaholics, “real” workaholics or no enthusiastic workaholics) differentiated by Spence and Robbins with their “workaholic triad” (Work Involvement, Drive, Work Enjoyment). They describe: (a) the no workaholic employees; (b) the enthusiastic workaholics (high scores on three components); (c) the “real” workaholics or no enthusiastic workaholic (high scores on Work involvement and Drive and low scores on Work Enjoyment). ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to fill this gap in identifying the traits and the facets of personality linked to these different profiles of workaholics (no workaholic, enthusiastic workaholics and no enthusiastic workaholics). Participants and methodsOne hundred and fifty-five junior and senior business professionals and managers (56 women, 99 men) responded to the Spence and the Robbins's workaholism Battery (WorkBAT) while 140 of them completed as well: (1) the 240 items of the revised NEO Personality Inventory (Costa and McCrae), validated in French by Rolland and Petot in order to assess the 5 traits of personality traits (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to experience, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness) and their 30 facets (6 facets per trait); (2) the Dutch Work Addiction Scale (DUWAS) in order to measure the two dimensions of workaholism (Work Excessively and Work Compulsively). ResultsThe factorial analysis run on the WorkBAT questionnaire validates two of its dimensions (Compulsive Tendency to work and Job satisfaction) and invalidates the Work Involvement as already shown in the literature. The scores in Work Excessively evaluated with the Dutch Work Addiction Scale and the scores in the Drive and Work Enjoyment estimated with the WorBAT permit to distinguish the no workaholics, the enthusiastic workaholics and the no enthusiastic workaholics. Neuroticism differentiates significantly the two profiles of workaholics (enthusiastic workaholics versus non enthusiastic workaholics). The non-enthusiastic workaholics had: (a) a score of Neuroticism significantly higher than enthusiastic workaholics; (b) higher scores than that of enthusiastic workaholics on three anxious-depressive facets of Neuroticism (Anxiety, Depression, and Vulnerability of stress). The scores of Conscientiousness were not different between the no workaholics, the enthusiastic workaholics and the no enthusiastic workaholics. ConclusionNeuroticism and its anxious-depressive facets (Anxiety, Depression, and Vulnerability of stress) differentiate “real” workaholism from enthusiastic workaholism. These results and these distinctions are an essential ingredient for an efficient preventive strategy and for a relevant therapeutic indication.