Entrepreneurship Addiction and the Negative Mental Health Consequences of Entrepreneurial Engagement Among Some Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is often lauded as a positive pursuit for individuals because of the assumption that it confers benefits to the entrepreneur such as autonomy and the pursuit of a passion. While entrepreneurial endeavours do offer these benefits to some individuals, recent evidence suggests that they may also lead to patterns of intensive engagement that correspond to the development of a psychological addiction to the experience. Entrepreneurship addiction is linked to a variety of negative outcomes for the entrepreneur, indicating that there is reason to be against entrepreneurship for the risks it poses to some individuals. This chapter discusses the less studied negative aspects of entrepreneurial engagement and the variety of negative mental health and well-being outcomes that can be linked to entrepreneurship for some individuals.