What is ergophobia, the causes of the pathology. Varieties of ergophobic people. Ways to eliminate fear of work.
Ergophobia is a pathology in the form of an anxiety disorder in which fear of any work activity is maximized. At the same time, the nature of the proposed actions does not matter for a person with such a problem. He is afraid of any life activity that involves the use of certain professional skills. Most representatives of society call ergophobes parasites, which is not true. Fear of work is a serious problem that can significantly complicate people's lives and deprive them of their earnings.
Why does ergophobia occur?
Psychologists say that a person is not born with such a pathology. By its genesis, ergophobia has an acquired character due to the following provoking factors:
- Fear of competition … There are fewer and fewer people with an innovative streak, because in the face of fierce competition, it is difficult to remain in the ranks of creative workers. No one will be surprised by the fact that in the rapid race for a place in the sun, it is not a more gifted rival who wins, but a hardy and pragmatic person. The expression that "talent will punch its way everywhere" in the near future may become archaism when voicing the actions of inert persons.
- Fear of a new job … There is a category of people who are ready to work for a penny, provided they do not leave their usual habitat. Everything new seems dangerous to them, even with a guarantee to significantly improve their own material well-being.
- Injury shock … Some professions are associated with an increased risk to life, even if all safety rules are followed. The fear of working with ergophobia after suffering an injury can progress so much that a person eventually abandons a profession that is safe in every sense.
- The collapse of a project … Not necessarily the fear of work arises only from the physical injury received. In some cases, the spirit of a strong person can be broken by failure in a business on which he had high hopes.
- Unhealthy team environment … There is hardly a person who will like to experience regular humiliation during the working day. They can come both from colleagues and directly from superiors.
- Laziness of the soul … This manifestation should not be confused with the desire of a parasite to rid himself of any work activity. The affection of the soul for a person becomes threatening the words "innovation", "innovation", "sociability" and "creativity". However, a modern employer often requires its employees to display the listed qualities. Ergophobe, due to laziness of thoughts, is not capable of such impulses, which causes him to panic before any activity.
Important! Each of the listed manifestations of fear of work involves finding a person in a depressed state. It is this that causes a powerful protest of the body against getting out of the state of obsession and doom.
Varieties of ergophobic people
Fear of work has some nuances that psychologists were able to bring into a single classification. To solve the question of how to get rid of ergophobia, you need to consider the following contingent of people:
- "Social phobia man" … Individuals who are initially not adapted to life in society, in isolated cases, will become valuable employees. The very thought of being in a team terrifies the social phobia. An exception is work at home, where a person with such a problem can successfully realize himself.
- "Snail Man" … With such a formulation, A. P. Chekhov with his "Man in a Case". People with such a position in life try not to stand out from others, which they do very well. The "snail man" is able to earn his living, but in small quantities and being in the same job for decades. The most ideal area of work for him is fruitful functioning away from the bosses and the team. To put such a person into a state of deep shock, it is enough to invite him to work on a creative project as part of a friendly creative team.
- Calculator Man … It would seem, what's wrong with prudence to the smallest detail when performing any task? However, commendable zeal often turns into excessive self-criticism. The fear of the slightest miss can transform into ergophobia.
- "Windmill Man" … Ergophobes are still energetic people, but their inner potential is directed in the wrong direction. They boldly take on a new business, and then, frightened of responsibility, they immediately refuse it. The choice of the next field of activity and rejection from it take place in the same way.
- "Ergophobe manipulator" … It's time to talk about the most interesting kind of fear of work. Simulation with this pathology definitely exists, but the "ergophobe manipulator" really believes in the existence of problems with the perception of work activity.
Attention! The fear of work should not be confused with the outright manifestation of laziness and consumerism. A person who loudly proclaims his inability to work for himself and others for the good simply does not want it. Real ergophobes are usually silent about their problems.
Read about arachnophobia and the most common spider myths
What is ergophobia?
It will be difficult to ignore the aspect that the voiced problem may have a narrower profile. You can be afraid of all types of work, but there are more specific manifestations of fear of any kind of work:
- Cyberphobia … Fear or outright fear of any automation does not prevent people from showing their abilities in other professions. The main thing is that they are not connected with a computer, because a person, when working with it, falls into a stupor.
- Arrhythmophobia … If you are afraid of numbers, you should forget about the profession related to the economic sphere. It is also difficult to imagine a sales representative who, with remarkable intelligence, is not able to do arithmetic calculations.
- Gnosiophobia … In this case, we are talking about a big problem for a person. It is difficult to somehow realize oneself in life and count on career growth if there is a fear of knowledge. No employer wants to deal with an employee who is unable to develop professionally.
Important! There are many similar distortions of consciousness in the form of bibliophobia (fear of books), pedophobia (fear of children), glosshobia (panic before public speaking), etc. You just need to choose the field of activity that will not come into contact with factors irritating the mind.
How to get rid of ergophobia?
There are many ways to get rid of the problem that has arisen that interferes with productive work. Treatment of ergophobia does not imply the appointment of cardinal drug therapy. With increased excitability, you can try using sedatives. However, it should be remembered that sedatives cannot eradicate internal fears.
With the chosen position "help yourself", you need to remember that consultation with a psychologist may still be needed in the future. The fear of "argophobia" is an insidious thing, unless, of course, a person invented it for himself in a fit of selfish motives.
If the problem really exists, then you should take care of your well-being in this way:
- Obtaining complete information about the work … If a person is a philologist by education, then this does not at all indicate his inability to perceive the language of exact numbers. If you want to try your hand at another field of activity, it is recommended to initially fully study its specifics.
- Create motivation … As a reward, you can plan your upcoming vacation as a reward for a job well done. In addition, excellent specialists are often motivated by their bosses in the form of bonuses, which cannot but become an incentive to combat ergophobia.
- Introspection … It is better to write down the conclusions as persuasiveness for oneself, rather than memorize them. When analyzing, you should clearly state on paper your mistakes and the reason for their occurrence. Over time, a person will be surprised to understand that the origins of the formation of imbalance at each failure have the same genesis.
- Change of field of activity … There are such professions in which stressful situations are periodically repeated. We are not talking about stuntmen, predator tamers or emergency workers. People of these professions have deliberately chosen it, and an extra surge of adrenaline cannot stop them. The situation is different if the accountant is harassed by constant checks. Due to this systematic psychological pressure, he begins to fear responsibility for his work. Therefore, it's time to just change it.
- Targeting a strong colleague … In no case should you become his "shadow", but it is still worth learning something from a purposeful person. Trying to strike up a friendship with a successful colleague is also not recommended, because in building a career, friendships go to the farthest plan.
- Creating a calm environment … Ergophobia often occurs against the background of other fears. You should calm down and think about what exactly makes you nervous about and without it. All negative aspects after detailed introspection must be eliminated.
- Choosing to work from home … As already mentioned, sociophobes with great effort adapt even to a friendly-minded team. If such a problem cannot be corrected, then the vastness of the Internet will come to the aid of such a person. The main thing is to carefully study all the offered vacancies so as not to become a victim of dishonest people.
- Seeking help from loved ones … In addition to friendly advice, they can provide support in a more concrete way. If there is money in the family clan, you can open a joint business. As a result, the ergophobe will feel not only material, but also psychological support from loved ones. He will not cease to be afraid to work outside his comfort zone, but with a successful family business, he will not have to leave it.
Read also how to get rid of body dysmorphophobia.
Help of psychologists with ergophobia
In addition to listening to your intuition, it does not hurt to pay attention to the recommendations of specialists. You should ask a psychologist for support if, before starting any work activity, a person is already sure of its complete failure. Self-criticism is a great quality, but it shouldn't go off scale to unimaginable heights.
The help of psychologists will look like this:
- Autogenic therapy … It is possible to organize control of one's own mind without medication. Such exercises will help you relax and not get hung up on the desire to achieve a certain goal. Typically, these exercises involve positioning the body in relaxation postures. Among the most effective are the fixation of the trunk in the supine position and when imitating riding the reins. It should be remembered that autogenous exercises are not performed before bedtime.
- Relaxation … In essence, this method is similar to the therapy already sounded. The difference lies in the very method of eliminating hypertonicity of muscle tissue. You can use progressive relaxation, in which each muscle is tense for 10 seconds. In self-hypnosis, the technique of its implementation involves repeating the phrases: "First, my left hand will completely relax, and then my right hand will go numb," etc.
- Attending special classes … The elective in the form of the "Leader's School" is gaining more and more popularity in the field of the general education system. Why should not an adult, with fear of responsibility for his activities, attend retraining / advanced training courses and trainings to correct self-esteem.
What is ergophobia - watch the video:
What kind of disease is ergophobia, we figured it out and tried to give specific recommendations for its elimination. Another significant aspect remains on the agenda, and is it really necessary for a person to fight it? Definitely, it is necessary if he really wants to achieve from life what belongs to him by right. The question of "ergophobia and how to deal with it" is not an adamant dilemma to keep in mind.
