Abstract
Tobephobia (TBP) is the manifestation of the fear of failure (FF) that is commonly found in learning-working environments (LWEs). The presence and intensity of this FF in the LWE can vary from one organization to another. This exploratory quantitative study examined seven interpersonal symptoms of TBP that affected the job behavior of employees. These interpersonal symptoms were fear, failure, sadness, unhappiness, agitation, disappointment, and hatred. Three-hundred-and-eleven respondents completed the questionnaire. This represented a return rate of 92.8% from a total of 335 distributed questionnaires. Internal consistency was checked for interpersonal symptoms of TBP using Cronbach’s alpha which resulted in a value 0.845, well above the recommended value of 0.7. The findings of this study indicated that the interpersonal symptoms of TBP impacted on the employees’ job behavior in the workplace. Stress, tension, and anxiety appeared to be the most intensely experienced symptoms of TBP with 70.7%, 65.3% and 58.9% of participants experiencing major symptoms, respectively. Sickness, bitterness, and hatred were ranked among the least intensely experienced symptoms with 22.2%, 21.2% and 14.5% of participants experiencing major symptoms, respectively. The findings of this study recommend that the interpersonal symptoms of TBP require scrutiny in the workplace to promote the mental health and wellbeing of all employees. More research needs to be done to establish whether symptoms and characteristics of TBP differ considerably in diverse organizational environments. This study paves the way for future research to focus on the distinction between interpersonal and intrapersonal symptoms that varies from one LWE to another.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2022 Special Focus—Rethinking Organizational Resilience: Shared Meanings in Turbulent Times
KEYWORDS
Fear of Failure, Interpersonal Symptoms of Tobephobia, Job Behavior
