Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Detachment

  • Living reference work entry
  • Latest version View entry history
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences

  • 216 Accesses

Synonyms

Mental disengagement; Psychological detachment; Psychological detachment from work demands; Recovery from work demands

Definition

Detachment refers to an “individual’s sense of being away from the work situation” (Etzion et al. 1998, p. 579). Effective detachment requires both a mental and physical disengagement from the work environment (cf., Sonnentag and Fritz 2007).

Introduction

Traditionally, detachment (also known as “psychological detachment”) has been examined through the lens of industrial and organizational psychology and occupational health psychology. The term was introduced by Etzion et al. (1998) and is most commonly measured with a subscale of the recovery experience questionnaire (Sonnentag and Fritz 2007). Detachment is commonly thought of as a recovery experience, which refers to experiences that allow for recuperation from job stress. Recovery experiences can occur during various time windows, including short breaks during work (i.e., microbreaks, see...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Clinton, M. E., Conway, N., & Sturges, J. (2016). “It’s tough hanging-up a call”: The relationships between calling and work hours, psychological detachment, sleep quality, and morning vigor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22, 28–39.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Sonnentag, S., & Fullagar, C. J. (2012). Work-related flow and energy at work and at home: A study on the role of daily recovery. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33, 276–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demsky, C. A., Ellis, A. M., & Fritz, C. (2014). Shrugging it off: Does psychological detachment from work mediate the relationship between workplace aggression and work-family conflict? Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 19, 195–205.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ebert, D. D., Berking, M., Thiart, H., Riper, H., Laferton, J. A. C., Cuijpers, P., et al. (2015). Restoring depleted resources: Efficacy and mechanisms of change of an internet-based unguided recovery training for better sleep and psychological detachment from work. Health Psychology, 34, 1240–1251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etzion, D., Eden, D., & Lapidot, Y. (1998). Relief from job stressors and burnout: Reserve service as a respite. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83, 577–585.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fritz, C., Yankelevich, M., Zarubin, A., & Barger, P. (2010). Happy, healthy, and productive: The role of detachment from work during nonwork time. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 977–983.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fritz, C., Ellis, A. M., Demsky, C. A., Lin, B. C., & Guros, F. (2013). Embracing work breaks: Recovering from work stress. Organizational Dynamics, 42, 274–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, V. C., & Dormann, C. (2013). The role of partners and children for employees’ psychological detachment from work and well-being. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98, 26–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, V. C., Binnewies, C., Sonnentag, S., & Mojza, E. J. (2011). Learning how to recover from job stress: Effects of a recovery training program on recovery, recovery-related self-efficacy and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 16, 202–216.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, V. C., Binnewies, C., & Haun, S. (2012). The role of partners for employees’ recovery during the weekend. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80, 288–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halbesleben, J. R. B., Neveu, J.-P., Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., & Westman, M. (2014). Getting to the “COR”: Understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. Journal of Management, 40, 1334–1364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44, 513–524.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hülsheger, U. R., Lang, J. W. B., Depenbrock, F., Fehrmann, C., Zijlstra, F. R. H., & Alberts, H. J. E. M. (2014). The power of presence: The role of mindfulness at work for daily levels and change trajectories of psychological detachment and sleep quality. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99, 1113–1128.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hülsheger, U. R., Feinholdt, A., & Nübold, A. (2015). A low-dose mindfulness intervention and recovery from work: Effects on psychological detachment, sleep quality, and sleep duration. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88, 464–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kinnunen, U., Feldt, T., Siltaloppi, M., & Sonnentag, S. (2011). Job demands-resources model in the context of recovery: Testing recovery experiences as mediators. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 20, 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kühnel, J., Sonnentag, S., & Westman, M. (2009). Does work engagement increase after a short respite? The role of job involvement as a double-edged sword. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82, 575–594.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meijman, T. F., & Mulder, G. (1998). Psychological aspects of workload. In P. J. D. Drenth & H. Thierry (Eds.), Handbook of work and organizational psychology, work psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 5–33). Hove: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michel, A., Bosch, C., & Rexroth, M. (2014). Mindfulness as a cognitive-emotional segmentation strategy: An intervention promoting work-life balance. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 87, 733–754.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno-Jiménez, B., Rodríguez-Muñoz, A., Pastor, J. C., Sanz-Vergel, A. I., & Garrosa, E. (2009). The moderating effects of psychological detachment and thoughts of revenge in workplace bullying. Personality and Individual Differences, 46, 359–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosbergen, D. (2016). French legislation suggests employees deserve the right to disconnect. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/work-emails-france-labor-law_us_57455130e4b03ede4413515a

  • Park, Y., & Fritz, C. (2015). Spousal recovery support, recovery experiences, and life satisfaction crossover among dual-earner couples. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100, 557–566.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira, D., & Elfering, A. (2014). Social stressors at work and sleep during the weekends: The mediating role of psychological detachment. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 19, 85–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Potok, Y., & Littman-Ovadia, H. (2013). Does personality regulate the work stressor-psychological detachment relationship? Journal of Career Assessment, 22, 43–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Project: Time Off. (2016).The state of American vacation 2016: How vacation became a casualty of our work culture. Retrieved from: http://www.projecttimeoff.com/sites/default/files/PTO_SoAV%20Report_FINAL.pdf

  • Sonnentag, S. (2012). Psychological detachment from work during leisure time: The benefits of mentally disengaging from work. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21, 114–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonnentag, S., & Bayer, U.-V. (2005). Switching off mentally: Predictors and consequences of psychological detachment from work during off-job time. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10, 393–414.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sonnentag, S., & Binnewies, C. (2013). Daily affect spillover from work to home: Detachment from work and sleep as moderators. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83, 198–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2007). The recovery experience questionnaire: Development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12, 204–221.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model as an integrative framework. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36, S72–S103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonnentag, S., Binnewies, C., & Mojza, E. J. (2010). Staying well and engaged when demands are high: The role of psychological detachment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 965–976.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sonnentag, S., Unger, D., & Nägel, I. J. (2013). Workplace conflict and employee well-being. International Journal of Conflict Management, 24, 166–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Thiele Schwarz, U. (2011). Inability to withdraw from work as related to poor next-day recovery and fatigue among women. Applied Psychology. An International Review, 60, 377–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trougakos, J. P., & Hideg, I. (2009). Momentary work recovery: The role of within-day work breaks. In P. Perrewé, J. Halbesleben, & C. Rose (Eds.), Research in occupational stress and well-being (Vol. 7, pp. 37–84).

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Volmer, J., Binnewies, C., Sonnentag, S., & Niessen, C. (2012). Do social conflicts with customers at work encroach upon our private lives? A diary study. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17, 304–315.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management and Marketing, School of Business Administration, Oakland University, 275 Varner Drive, Elliott Hall, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA

    Caitlin A. Demsky

Authors
  1. Caitlin A. Demsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Caitlin A. Demsky .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Lakehead University, Orillia, ON, Canada

    Beth A. Visser

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Demsky, C.A. (2017). Detachment. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1064-2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1064-2

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Detachment
    Published:
    08 April 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1064-2

  2. Original

    Detachment
    Published:
    01 December 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1064-1

Search

Navigation