Addicted to success?
This article in the WSJ that spoke to me. Summary quotes:
“The deepening recession is exacting punishment for a psychological vice that masquerades as virtue for many working people: the unmitigated identification of self with occupation, accomplishment and professional status. This tendency can induce outright panic as more and more people fear loss of employment.”
“Like a drug, professional success can induce a feeling of ecstasy that quickly feels essential. Recapturing that feeling can require greater and greater feats, a phenomenon that — more than simple greed — explains the drive for ever-larger bonuses and conquests.”
Pretty good summary of typical careerist neuroticism. Not so sure that it’s a vice to be stamped out, though.