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Psychological Disorders at Work

Gleice Silva - gleice.prevencao1@gmail.com

Intense working hours, over eight hours, are no longer new in companies, regardless of the size or the segment in which they operate. As the hierarchical level increases, the situation worsens: some managers expect subordinates to be available 24 hours a day and to put their careers above all in their lives.

The reaction to that couldn’t be worse. A person who was not aggressive, for example, because of pressure in the work environment, can start to react in this way. As a result, personal relationships, and even at work, start to get worse. The improvements in technology, instead of providing more time for modern man, ended up making him more competitive. To stay in the market, you have to do more, with less!

Pressure at work generates anxiety, which is the major culprit for taking away a person’s physical and mental well-being. This characteristic, as simple as it may seem, acts directly on the quality of life of people, causing presenteeism (employees who are not fully functioning in the workplace because of an illness, injury or other condition) in the relationship with family and friends.

Many people give themselves up to companies, make personal sacrifices and some even stop a normal lifestyle, postponing such things as marriage and having children. It is necessary to be attentive to this, so the individual can recognize his limits and establish a pace that satisfactorily meets different demands.

Bullying is an extreme form of psychological violence in the workplace. It refers to psychological aggressions that are repeated and persist over time, aimed at excluding workers from the work environment. It is configured by

repetitive behaviors of isolation and humiliation. The International Labor Organization (ILO) describes bullying as the behavior of someone to demean a person or group of workers, through vengeful, cruel, malicious or humiliating means against a person or group of workers. Repetitive criticisms and disqualifications, isolating the worker from contact with other workers and spreading false information about him/her. Marie-France, a French psychiatrist, systematized some behaviors, which due to their repetition, association and intentionality, would be characterized as moral harassment.

All the behaviors listed above can be considered acts of psychological aggression, even if they do not occur repeatedly or intentionally. Not every situation of violence or psychological aggression at work is technically bullying. Repetition and intentionality are the elements that characterize moral harassment and differentiate it from specific psychological attacks and conflicts in interpersonal relationships.

The most frequent psychological violent behaviors are related to: exaggerated pressure to meet goals, constant and strict supervision, use of embarrassing results exposure strategies and comparison between members of the same group, competitiveness beyond ethics, performance evaluation based only on results, the threat of constant dismissal, humiliations directed at a group of workers in the face of less than expected results, among others.

Moral harassment is not a new phenomenon, but the new work configurations creates organizational environments conducive to the occurrence of situations of minor and extreme psychological violence at work: neoliberal politics, productive restructuring, precarious work, structural unemployment, new forms of job management and certain people, for example. Although more frequent than bullying, minor psychological violent behaviors are often perceived in a context of “trivialization of social injustice” Asked if people can find a link between these psychological effects (anxiety, aggression, depression, irritability) to the massacring people, this happens only when they see that they have no more time to live their own lives. This perception, however, is slow to present itself, due to the difficulty of many disconnecting from work.

One way to get rid of pressure at work is to manage negative and catastrophic thoughts. Many people spend energy worried about the problems they have, instead of looking for alternative solutions. This raises daily tensions and prevents a negative view about many problems.

It is part of human nature to go through difficulties, but the important thing is to minimize its effects while developing an optimistic posture is the key to dealing with pressure.

In addition, another fundamental attitude is to look for ways to maintain balance in the various human dimensions (physical, emotional, social, spiritual). Meditation techniques, physical activity and the practice of a religion can be alternatives.

Relieving psychological problems, physical problems are also mitigated. Pressure at work can manifest itself through emotional, physical or mixed symptoms. Some diseases that are related to this are: those of the digestive system, cancer, coronary heart disease, sleep disorders, among others”.

According to research, 53% of illnesses are caused by an unhealthy lifestyle and could be prevented; 20% are due to environmental factors; 17% are due to a genetic tendency and only 10% are linked to the lack of medical assistance. So, face the pressure at work in a positive way. Your mind and body thank you!