Linking Calling With Workaholism: Examining Obsessive and Harmonious Passion as Mediators and Moderators

Career calling is a positive construct that describes how much individuals see their work as a meaningful and consuming passion, experienced as a transcendent summons, that defines their identity, their life’s purpose, and contributes to the common good. Somewhat surprisingly, recent research suggested that calling fosters workaholism. In a cross-sectional study (N = 235), we investigated obsessive and harmonious passion as mediators and moderators of the relation between calling and workaholism. Results suggested that the relation between calling and workaholism is completely mediated by obsessive passion and partially mediated by harmonious passion. In addition, we observed that obsessive passion moderates the relation between calling and workaholism, such that when obsessive passion is high, calling protects individuals from workaholism. These results put into question the so-called dark side of calling.