The Mechanism of Overworking as a Means of Pleasure

Abstract

This paper approaches the idea of the Japanese “Workholic” as an idea centered on such mechanisms as “satisfaction”. An old criticism of the “Workholic” is based on the suppression of the individual by the company, i. e. a passive self which is strongly dependent on a company. However, the mechanism which brings about overwork voluntarily cannot be sufficiently explained by these approaches alone. Mbreover, there are problems whih emphasizing the importance of the individual. My approach pays attention to the self not in the schema of “individual vs company” but in that of the company as a field where the self is emerged. This approach aims to explain the mechanism that the pursuit of the satisfaction lead to alienation, anomie, overwork, and over-conformity.