The Hidden Dangers of Moralizing Work Passion: How Loving Your Job Became a Virtue and Why It Matters

At first glance, viewing passion for work as a virtue appears beneficial, but research reveals potential drawbacks. (Representational)

Houston:

The common advice "Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life" permeates American career guidance. This sentiment suggests passion for one's profession guarantees success.

As a management professor, I acknowledge substantial research supporting this perspective. Psychologists refer to this concept as "intrinsic motivation" – working primarily because the work itself provides satisfaction. Intrinsically motivated individuals genuinely enjoy their tasks, embracing learning opportunities and challenges for personal fulfillment. Research consistently demonstrates intrinsic motivation enhances workplace performance, persistence, and creativity.

However, recent research conducted by myself and colleagues suggests this seemingly innocent concept of loving your work increasingly carries moral implications. People increasingly evaluate themselves and others based on intrinsic motivation levels. What once represented personal preference has evolved into a moral imperative: You should love your work, and failing to do so somehow indicates moral deficiency.

Social scientists describe this phenomenon as "moralization" – when neutral preferences become charged with moral significance. Similar to someone initially choosing vegetarianism for health reasons but eventually viewing it as an ethical imperative, the moralization of intrinsic motivation follows comparable logic. While people work for various reasons – passion, duty, family responsibilities, financial security, or social status – once intrinsic motivation becomes moralized, loving your work is perceived as virtuous rather than merely enjoyable. Consequently, working primarily for money, prestige, or family obligations appears less admirable or even suspect.

In a 2023 study with researchers Julia Lee Cunningham and Jon M. Jachimowicz, we surveyed over 1,200 employees regarding whether they considered working for personal enjoyment virtuous. Those who believed this typically felt everyone should be intrinsically motivated and viewed other motivations, such as working for compensation or recognition, as morally inferior. They often agreed with statements like "you are morally obligated to love the work itself more than you love the rewards and perks." These employees had internalized the false dichotomy between working for passion versus compensation – despite most people being motivated by both.

Initially, treating work passion as virtue appears advantageous. If job responsibilities or organizational mission provide personal meaning, you may persevere through challenges because abandoning them feels like betraying your ideals.

However, this virtue can backfire significantly. When intrinsic motivation transforms from joy into moral obligation, normal work-related emotions like boredom, fatigue, or temporary disengagement can trigger feelings of moral inadequacy and self-blame. Over time, this pressure potentially contributes to burnout, particularly if individuals remain in unsustainable positions due to guilt.

Idealizing "dream jobs" during career searches might cause overlooking crucial factors like security and stability, potentially leading to financial difficulties and underutilization of talents. This unrealistic standard might also prompt premature job departures when reality fails to match expectations or initial passion diminishes.

The moralization of intrinsic motivation extends beyond self-judgment to evaluating others. People who moralize intrinsic motivation frequently expect similar passion from colleagues.

In examining nearly 800 employees across 185 teams, we discovered that employees who moralized intrinsic motivation demonstrated greater generosity toward teammates perceived as loving their work. Conversely, they showed less willingness to assist colleagues deemed less passionate. Essentially, moralizing intrinsic motivation transforms employees into "discerning saints" – selectively supportive rather than universally helpful.

This dynamic creates potential team difficulties. Leaders strongly moralizing intrinsic motivation may adopt leadership approaches focused on igniting team passion – emphasizing worker autonomy, for example. While superficially inspiring, this approach potentially alienates employees motivated by pragmatic concerns. Over time, this fosters tension and conflict as "true believers" receive celebration while others experience marginalization. Expressing work passion becomes another competitive advantage – one more method for advancement.

While intrinsic motivation exists universally, its moralization varies culturally. My current research with management scholar Laura Sonday suggests some cultures more prominently moralize intrinsic motivation than others. In contexts where work represents service, duty, or life balance rather than personal fulfillment, loving one's job may be appreciated without becoming a moral expectation.

I encourage organizational leaders to recognize the double-edged nature of moralizing intrinsic motivation. While genuine work passion can inspire others, enforcing it as moral standard potentially silences or shames those with different values or priorities. Leaders should avoid equating enthusiasm with virtue or assuming passion automatically indicates integrity or competence.

For employees, reflecting on how we discuss our motivations proves valuable. While loving one's work is wonderful, valuing stability, recognition, or family needs remains perfectly human. In a culture where "do what you love" has evolved into moral commandment, remembering this isn't the ultimate reason to work may represent the most ethical position of all.

Mijeong Kwon, Assistant Professor of Management, Rice University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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