workahaulics are a real group of people. i dont think wanting to serve people above you on the totem pole is a big part of it though. i have a workahaulic coworker and its clearly a pathology. he openly admits to using work as an outlet to cope with being unhappy about some things in life, but then treats people who don't work as neurotically as he does as having a deficient work ethic.  it's like, no. i don't have a deficient work ethic. i have a normal work ethic. but these people dedicate their lives to their job and there's a lot of ego, and psychological things tied up in that.
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