Striving for the Status Quo: Stasis-Striving, Inauthenticity, and Psychological Distress in High-Achievement Contexts

A central assumption underlying much of the social hierarchy literature is that people strive to attain more status over time. The current research introduces the concept of stasis-striving, a work motivation characterized by a desire to maintain one’s current role and level of responsibility through sustained effort and diligence, while avoiding opportunities to attain higher status. Five studies explore this phenomenon and test the downstream consequences of stasis-striving at work, particularly within the achievement-oriented cultures that characterize many workplaces. Specifically, the current study theorizes that stasis-strivers (compared to status-strivers) experience greater psychological distress (e.g., burnout, frustration, anxiety, etc.) as a result of feeling forced to present themselves inauthentically (i.e., as status-strivers) at work. The results of five studies confirm the existence of stasis-strivers and identify some of the challenges they may experience in the workplace.