5 signs you may have Achiever Trauma [Wise Wednesdays #360]
In conversation with a dear friend this week, we talked about Achiever Trauma. Working with high achievers and considering myself a recovering achiever for a long time, I’ve become increasingly interested in the relationship between achievement and trauma, espcecially in toxic work cultures - which you could call Corporate Trauma. Achievers have an above average fear of failure and of letting people down. They are focused on getting things done, either for themselves, others or both. There’s nothing inherently problematic with this, except when mental, physical and spiritual problems manifest e.g. burnout or a crisis of meaning. It’s a problem when the need to achieve trumps basic wellbeing - as a way of life. Why does this happen? The sense of validation derived from ‘getting things done’ acts as a drug that numbs the quietly painful dent in innate self-worth that most humans have to some degree as a result of growing up in an imperfect world. Achievers often become p...
