Why is perfectionism a risk factor for workaholism? The mediating role of irrational beliefs at work

Abstract

This study investigates the role of irrational beliefs at work in two samples of workers. The first aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of an Italian adaptation of the Work-related Irrational Beliefs Questionnaire (WIB-Q; Van Wijhe, Peeters, & Schaufeli, 2013). Several confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), including multiple-group CFAs, supported the four-factor structure (i.e., performance demands, coworkers' approval, failure, and control) of the WIB-Q in both samples. Additionally, the WIB-Q showed satisfactory convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. The second aim of this study was to test a theoretical model in which irrational beliefs at work mediate the association between two dimensions of perfectionism - self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) - and workaholism. Failure mediated the association between SOP/SPP and workaholism, whereas the mediating effect of performance demands was marginally significant. Overall, the results of this study suggest that interventions aimed at preventing workaholism should target perfectionists' work-related irrational beliefs related to failure and performance demands.