Work Aversion - Causes

Causes

Work aversion usually occurs in persons who have previously been employed, and can have a variety of causes. These include:

• Boredom with work. Holding a boring job early in life can lead to the impression later that all work is boring.
• Depression: A person who is suffering from clinical depression, dysthymia, grief, or other similar disorders may lack the motivation to work.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Due to neurological dysfunction, the person becomes preoccupied with anxiety-based obsessions, and performs compulsive behaviors in order to cope with their anxiety. They are therefore unable to redirect their attention toward a job or employment search.
• Panic disorder: For some, merely finding oneself in a work environment can trigger a panic attack. After such an occurrence, many are reluctant to seek further employment.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder: The person has suffered from a traumatic experience at an earlier job. This may be a physical injury suffered on the job, a scary event that occurred while at work (such as a robbery of the place of employment), severe harassment or bullying from fellow employees, or abuse from one's boss or employer.
• Abrupt termination: A former employee who was fired or laid off from an earlier job may be fearful of seeking future employment on the basis that such rejection may recur again.
• Phobia: Some persons are simply phobic of the workplace.
• Negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
• Sleep problems.
• Side effects of medication, such as weariness and fatigue.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome