Word: philipson
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Luba (not her real name) is one of nearly 200 patients whom psychologist Ilene Philipson has treated for overinvestment in work and whose experiences inform Philipson's provocative new book, Married to the Job: Why We Live to Work and What We Can Do About It. A resident of Oakland, Calif., Philipson, 52, describes how Americans' love affair with work might be great for corporate productivity but can have terrible personal consequences. Her book is well timed, with millions of Americans newly laid off and millions more working harder than ever to pick up the slack. "In giving...
Americans spend more time at work than anyone else in the industrialized world. And then there are the hours spent on what Philipson calls "electronic leashes": e-mail, laptops, cell phones. "Formerly, personal success was evinced by the ability to not work, to be a part of a leisure class, to be idle," Philipson writes. "Today, we measure our success by how much we work." Philipson's clients say they work long hours not just to make more money. They are seeking recognition, self-esteem or a sense of belonging...
...Philipson believes that overattachment to the workplace disproportionately afflicts women. "A lot of women I've seen have traded the anticipation of having security emotionally and economically through marriage to having security through work." While women make up two-thirds of her cases, they account for 85% of the work obsessed. Some of her patients were working until midnight without extra pay, bringing in food for their co-workers and vacuuming their own offices...
...tell if you're married to your job? Philipson suggests that you imagine quitting your current job and experiencing what that would feel like. If you feel terrified and alone and without direction, it's time to consider stepping back. Philipson recommends trying to leave work at a specific time each day, establishing limits on checking business e-mail and voice mail after hours, and taking restorative vacations...
...WORKING CLASS: "As we spend more time and energy at work, our jobs invade our dreams and fantasy lives, and define our identities," writes Ilene Philipson, Ph.D., the author of "Married to the Job: Why We Live to Work and What We Can Do About It" (Free Press; September 5). "Paid work is increasingly where we get our emotional needs met and is surpassing neighborhood, community, and even family life, as the source of feeling alive and connected to others." But, says Philipson, this hyper-investment can have disastrous consequences. "When all of one's life revolves around work...