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My Mind is Working Overtime—Towards an Integrative Perspective of Psychological Detachment, Work-Related Rumination, and Work Reflection

Author

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  • Oliver Weigelt

    (Organizational and Personnel Psychology, University of Rostock, D-18051 Rostock, Germany
    Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Hagen, University of Hagen, D-58084 Hagen, Germany)

  • Petra Gierer

    (Organizational and Personnel Psychology, University of Rostock, D-18051 Rostock, Germany
    Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Hagen, University of Hagen, D-58084 Hagen, Germany)

  • Christine J. Syrek

    (Business Psychology, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Von-Liebig-Str. 20, D-53359 Rheinbach, Germany)

Abstract

In the literature on occupational stress and recovery from work, several facets of thinking about work during off-job time have been conceptualized. However, research on the focal concepts is currently rather diffuse. In this study we take a closer look at the five most well-established concepts: (1) psychological detachment, (2) affective rumination, (3) problem-solving pondering, (4) positive work reflection, and (5) negative work reflection. More specifically, we scrutinized (1) whether the five facets of work-related rumination are empirically distinct, (2) whether they yield differential associations with different facets of employee well-being (burnout, work engagement, thriving, satisfaction with life, and flourishing), and (3) to what extent the five facets can be distinguished from and relate to conceptually similar constructs, such as irritation, worry, and neuroticism. We applied structural equation modeling techniques to cross-sectional survey data from 474 employees. Our results provide evidence for (1) five correlated, yet empirically distinct facets of work-related rumination. (2) Each facet yields a unique pattern of association with the eight aspects of employee well-being. For instance, detachment is strongly linked to satisfaction with life and flourishing. Affective rumination is linked particularly to burnout. Problem-solving pondering and positive work reflection yield the strongest links to work engagement. (3) The five facets of work-related rumination are distinct from related concepts, although there is a high overlap between (lower levels of) psychological detachment and cognitive irritation. Our study contributes to clarifying the structure of work-related rumination and extends the nomological network around different types of thinking about work during off-job time and employee well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Oliver Weigelt & Petra Gierer & Christine J. Syrek, 2019. "My Mind is Working Overtime—Towards an Integrative Perspective of Psychological Detachment, Work-Related Rumination, and Work Reflection," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-27, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:16:p:2987-:d:259065
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zoe Zoupanou & Mark Cropley & Leif W Rydstedt, 2013. "Recovery after Work: The Role of Work Beliefs in the Unwinding Process," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-9, December.
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    3. Ed Diener & Derrick Wirtz & William Tov & Chu Kim-Prieto & Dong-won Choi & Shigehiro Oishi & Robert Biswas-Diener, 2010. "New Well-being Measures: Short Scales to Assess Flourishing and Positive and Negative Feelings," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 97(2), pages 143-156, June.
    4. Gretchen Spreitzer & Kathleen Sutcliffe & Jane Dutton & Scott Sonenshein & Adam M. Grant, 2005. "A Socially Embedded Model of Thriving at Work," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(5), pages 537-549, October.
    5. Driver, Charles C. & Oud, Johan H. L. & Voelkle, Manuel C., 2017. "Continuous Time Structural Equation Modeling with R Package ctsem," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 77(i05).
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    1. Liliana Dell’Osso & Rodolfo Buselli & Martina Corsi & Sigrid Baldanzi & Carlo Antonio Bertelloni & Riccardo Marino & Davide Gravina & Martina Chiumiento & Antonello Veltri & Gabriele Massimetti & Fabr, 2022. "Do Autistic Traits Correlate with Post-Traumatic Stress and Mood Spectrum Symptoms among Workers Complaining of Occupational Stress?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-12, March.
    2. Qing Miao & Jinhao Huang & Hui Yin, 2023. "Lingering shadows: the negative effects of incivility on volunteers," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Endong Zhu & Weifeng Li & Chen Zhao & Junli Wang, 2024. "Promoting the Sustainable Development of Enterprises: Unraveling the Dual Impact of Informal Communication on Employee Affect and Problem-Solving Capabilities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-19, July.
    4. Oliver Weigelt & J. Charlotte Seidel & Lucy Erber & Johannes Wendsche & Yasemin Z. Varol & Gerald M. Weiher & Petra Gierer & Claudia Sciannimanica & Richard Janzen & Christine J. Syrek, 2023. "Too Committed to Switch Off—Capturing and Organizing the Full Range of Work-Related Rumination from Detachment to Overcommitment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-29, February.
    5. Julia Schoellbauer & Sara Tement & Christian Korunka, 2023. "Honey, There´s Something on My Mind… Adverse Consequences of Negative and Positive Work Rumination on Attention to the Partner, and the Advantage of Talking About it," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 917-944, March.
    6. Lisa Auweiler & Jessica Lang & Maria Thissen & Roman Pauli, 2023. "Workplace Bullying Experience Predicts Same-Day Affective Rumination but Not Next Morning Mood: Results from a Moderated Mediation Analysis Based on a One-Week Daily Diary Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-16, October.

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