The endless pursuit for self-validation through attainment: An examination of self-esteem in relation to workaholism

- Workaholism is positively related to work stress.
- Self-esteem is negatively related workaholism.
- A serial mediation model involving all study variables is proposed.
- Low self-esteem leads to workaholism, and workaholism leads to greater work stress.
- Workaholism leads to more hours worked, and more hours worked lead to more stress.

Relationships among self-esteem, workaholism, and work stress were investigated. Data were collected from 414 faculty and staff members at a large Southeastern university and a large manufacturing organization. Workaholism and work stress were positively related to each other, while self-esteem was negatively related to workaholism. A serial mediation analysis revealed that all direct paths were statistically significant, with the exception of the direct path from self-esteem to work stress. Low self-esteem led to workaholism, workaholism led to working more hours and to greater work stress, and working more hours also led to increased stress.