3.Although the word workaholic (工作狂) usually has a negative meaning,it is sometimes used by people wishing to express their devotion to their career positively.The"work"in question is usually associated with a paying job,but it may also refer to independent pursuits (追求) such as sports,music and art.A workaholic in the negative sense is popularly characterized by a neglect of family and other social relations.Similarly,people considered to be workaholics tend to lose track of time.
Workaholism is an addiction,and it's not the same as working hard.Experts say the continuous work-related activity masks anxiety,low self-esteem (自尊),and privacy problems.Workaholics feel the urge of being busy all the time,to the point that they often perform tasks that aren't required or necessary for project completion.As a result,they tend to be inefficient workers,since they focus on being busy,instead of focusing on being productive.In addition,workaholics tend to be less effective than other workers because it's difficult for them to work as part of a team,they have trouble entrusting co-workers,or they take on so much that they aren't as organized as others.Workaholics are occupied with work all the time,which prevents them from maintaining healthy relationships,hobbies,or even take measures to protect their health.
As with addictions to alcohol,drugs or gambling,workaholics'harmful behavior will continue despite advice from loved ones or danger signs such as worsening relationships.Poor health is another warning sign.Because there's less of social shame attached to workaholism than to other addictions,health symptoms can easily go unrecognized.In the U.S.a(chǎn)nd Canada,workaholism remains what it's always been:the so-called"respectable addiction"that's dangerous as any other.Workaholism in Japan is considered a serious social problem leading to early death,often on the job,a phenomenon called karōshi (過勞死).
As with other psychological addictions,workaholics often cannot see that they have a problem.Reasoning the workaholic out of the problem will generally be met with denial.Co-workers,family members and friends may need to communicate the effects of the workaholic's behavior to them.Indeed,mental treatment to cure a workaholic can successfully reduce the hours spent on the job,while increasing the person's productivity.Studies show that fully recovered former workaholics can accomplish in 50hours what they previously couldn't do in 80.
Workaholism |
Passage outline | Supporting details |
Different attitudes towards workaholics | ●Some consider workaholics (71)devoted/committed to their occupation. ●Many think workaholics usually have no sense of time and (72)neglect/overlook/ignore their relatives,friends or colleagues. |
Features of workaholics | ●They take work as a method to escape their worries or troubles in their life. ●They aim at keeping themselves (73)busy/occupied instead of accomplishing their work. ●They prefer (74)individual work because they hardly believe in others. ●They (75)fail to deal with others properly,enjoy any hobby or manage to keep themselves healthy. |
(76)Problems/Troubles with worka- holism | ●It is difficult for workaholists to overcome this addiction. ●Its bad influence on health can hardly be (77)recognized/noticed/seen. ●It may even shorten a workaholic's (78)life if it is not seriously dealt with. |
(79)Treatments/Cures for worka- holism | ●Our (80)communication(s) with the workaholics may help them realize what might happen to them. ●Treating workaholics mentally turns out to be successful in many cases. |