ABSTRACT
Work inhibition is the form of work disturbance most commonly encountered in clinical practice. In the workplace it is characterized by restricted productivity and sometimes by the derailment of previously good performance. The work-inhibited person has generally intact, though often obsessional, thinking. In cases of work inhibition, basic ego functions are intact within the restricted range of the individual’s work-related activity. Patients with work inhibition often assume a dry, businesslike, sometimes aloof manner in the workplace. Work inhibition is the form of work disturbance most commonly seen clinically and consistently described in the psychoanalytic literature. The interpersonal and task functioning of work-inhibited individuals provide fertile ground for counseling and coaching interventions. The essential characteristics of a work inhibition are often repeated in the treatment itself. Workaholism is characterized by an inner compulsion to overwork. Being in a very demanding job does not per se define a work compulsion, although workaholics do tend to gravitate toward such jobs.
