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The cognitive intrusion of work: Theoretical and empirical developments |
MENA Dubai 2003 Abstract
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Souha Ezzedeen
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Research addressing the question of work and life balance has generally downplayed the influence of cognitive mechanisms in shaping individual experiences of work-life conflict. Instead, research has focused on the various "linking mechanisms" tying work and life. These however remain based on a conceptual separation between the two domains. Consequently, the goal of integrating the work and family constructs, early on advocated by Kanter (1977), remains unfulfilled. And yet, the changing nature of work and organizations, demographic transformations, and the advent of the "cognitive revolution" together renders a cognitive approach to the critical issue of work-life balance particularly appropriate and timely.
Therefore, in this paper we showcase a cognitive approach to work-life research. Drawing on notions from the cognitive literature such as attention, interference, spillover, and role transitions, this paper offers and defines the Cognitive Intrusion of Work (CIW), as a construct capable of making a significant contribution to the empirical assessment of work-life balance. The CIW investigates the issue of thinking about work when not working and when in non-work settings. Such thinking takes the form of preoccupation and worry, and is manifested by social-cognitive detachment from one's surroundings, the inappropriate adoption of work-specific behaviors, and a conversational dominance of work concerns. The paper presents the results of construct validity assessment of the CIW, specifically examining propositions tying the CIW to constructs relevant to work-life research, namely work-life conflict, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, burnout, work centrality, and turnover intentions. |
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