This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Haight, A. D. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Burnout, chronic fatigue, and prozac in the professions: The iron law of salaries

Economics Department, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, USA; Tel.: + 1-419-372-8111; fax: + 1-419-372-2875. ahaight{at}cba.bgsu.edu

In this model of contested exchange, ambitious salaried yuppies (in accounting, consulting, engineering, higher education, investment banking, law, management, marketing, medicine, or other professions) inevitably toil on the verge of depression, much as wage workers once toiled on the verge of starvation. This depression reduces diligence yet maximizes profit, subject to the rejection-rate Laffer curve. Chronic fatigue syndrome provides a status defense (conspicuous excess capacity) for workers denied promotion. Wellness programs, psychological counseling, anti-depressant drugs, exercise, and cheerful human resources management techniques improve profits more than morale. This may constitute exploitation in the sense of Roemer or Steiner.

Key Words: Organizational psychology • Malaise • Profit maximization

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. D. Haight Winner-Take-a-Hike Markets: The Arrogant Agent Problem in a Model of Devious Colleague Selection Review of Radical Political Economics, September 1, 2003; 35(3): 241 - 247. [Abstract] [PDF]