A Phenomenological Model of Success in Strict Societies: Derivation of the Success Index and the Structural Origin of Overwork
Abstract
In highly competitive societies, effort does not always lead to success. This paper proposes a phenomenological success index that explicitly separates ability, social expectations, attention, and effort. Starting from intuitive assumptions on expected returns, we derive a simple ana- lytical expression for success and show that excessive effort can systematically reduce success. This mechanism provides a mathematical definition of overwork (“blackization”) as a structural phenomenon rather than a psychological or moral failure.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Workaholism
burnout
and well-being
Human Behavior and Motivation
Education
Achievement
and Giftedness
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 12 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint