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"

CYBERSECPSYCH
Bring psychology topics to light as they
relate to the Dark Web

U NCA T E GO R IZE D

By DA NIE LLE A K IN GSB UR Y / AU G U S T 2 1, 2 0 17 @ 4 : 2 2 A M

DUALISTIC MODEL OF
PASSION: HINDERING CYBER
BURNOUT (SELF-ASSESSMENT
INCLUDED)
“THEY SHOULD STUDY WITH THEIR PASSION. THE WAY YOU HAVE A
GREAT CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY, IS YOU DO WHAT YOU’RE
PASSIONATE ABOUT. THERE IS SO MUCH DEMAND, THERE ARE SO
MANY OPPORTUNITIES, THERE ARE SO MANY OPTIONS. DON’T STUDY
THE THING THEY TELL YOU TO, STUDY WHAT STIMULATES YOUR
PASSIONS. THAT’S WHERE YOU WILL BE THE HAPPIEST, THAT’S HOW
YOU FIND THE BEST WORK.”
-BRUCE SCHNEIER

Intel’s international study, Hacking the Skills Shortage, found

that 82% of IT professionals say there is a shortage in cyber
security talent within their organization. We can surmise from
these findings that existing cybersecurity teams in most
 companies are overstretched, resulting in staff that are tired,
stressed, make mistakes, and inevitably, are more likely to
burnout.

Information Security jobs are stressful because:

1. Infosec breeds a culture of paranoia

2. There is antagonism between security requirements and

business processes

3. No clear endpoints

4. No clear wins

5. Job requirements change daily

6. Difficulty in calculating how much risk has been reduced

7. Regulatory compliance

8. Lack of staffing

9. Lack of senior leadership support

10. Metrics are based on breach or no breach

The Dualistic Model of Passion

Passion is defined as a strong inclination towards an activity,

object, concept, or person that one loves, highly values, regularly
engages in, and has some ties to one’s identity, leading to the
investment of time and energy into the activity and the
development of long-lasting involvement in it. Passions develop
as a reaction to a one’s desires around self-growth. Passion for
activities leads to the highest levels of self-growth.

There are two types of passion, harmonious passion and

obsessive passion. Harmonious passion is a passion that is freely
chosen for the pleasure that comes from the activity. Conversely,
obsessive passion is a passion that is instilled by wanting to
please others or to maintain a certain status that is important to
self-esteem.
Harmonious/Obsessive Passions Self-Assessment
Please rate the following as: Strongly disagree, moderately
disagree, slightly disagree, slightly agree, moderately agree, and
strongly agree.

General Passion:

1. I spend a lot of time doing my job as a security professional.

2. I like my job as a security professional.

3. My job as a security professional is important for me.

4. My job as a security professional is a passion for me.

Harmonious:

1. My job as a security professional is in harmony with other

activities in my life.

2. The new things that I discovered about doing my job as a

security professional allow me to appreciate it even more.

3. My job as a security professional reflects the qualities I like

about myself.

4. My job as a security professional allows me to live a variety of

experiences.

5. My job as a security professional is well integrated in my life.

6. My job as a security professional is in harmony with other

things that are a part of me.
Obsessive:

1. I have difficulties controlling my urge to do my job as a

security professional.

2. I have almost an excessive feeling for my job as a security

professional.

3. My job as a security professional is the only thing that really

turns me on.

4. If I could, I would only do my job as a security professional.

5. My job as a security professional is so exciting that I

sometimes lose control over it.

6. I have the impression that my job as a security professional

controls me.

Conclusion

Burnout has significant repercussions for both employee and

employer. Employees experience negative affects both
physically and psychologically, putting them at risk in both their
careers and personal lives. Employers experience a
compromised workplace quality, causing more absenteeism,
accident risk, and cynicism, while lowing the morale and
commitment of the rest of the team.

Reshifting the focus to see if workers are happy for the right
reason and if they feel in control should be a priority for
managers going forward. Self-efficacy is the principle
component that employees need to cultivate to discover their
true passions, and promoting this feeling by asking employees
when and how they feel they have mastered something not only
reinforces the learning process, but also creates more internal
engagement. These small wins in an industry where there are no
clear wins can have a dramatic effect by increasing one’s
harmonious passion in reaching the organization’s cybersecurity
goals and ensuring less employee turnover.

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 danielleakingsbury AL L P OS T S

# CyberSecPsych

RE LAT ED

Ethical Hacker The Beginnings of Motivation and

Psychology Cyber Security Self-Determination:
Intrinsic Cyber
WITH 5 COMMENTS IN "CYBERSECURITY"
Security

5 Comments AD D Y OU R S

godcronos on January 3, 2018 at 3:42 pm Reply

1
Thank you for this article! Very eye opening and true for the
InfoSec industry!

 Like

⋆ danielleakingsbury on January 3, 2018 at 4:35 pm

2
Reply
Thank you for you comment and for the kind remarks I am
 happy you found the article coincides to the industry!

 Like

Chief Monkeywrench on April 2, 2018 at 8:48 pm Reply

3
Thanks for a very relevant topic in our industry. Our security
profession does end up with quite a bit of job fatigue.

 Like

Great piece on cyber security professional burnout |

4
Reboots, recants and ramblings on April 2, 2018 at 8:53 pm
Reply
[…] via Dualistic Model of Passion: Hindering Cyber Burnout
(Self-assessment included) […]

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通信 on October 19, 2018 at 6:20 am Reply
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WELCO M E

"To be normal is the ideal aim of the unsuccessful"- Carl Jung

The mission of CyberSecPsych is to take the industry of Cyber Security and data
protection out of the computer room and into our living rooms so we can better
understand how the industry functions as a whole, where the gaps lie that
endanger the protection of society's most critical data, and how we as a
community can shape the way we operate in this space The more voices we have
involved, the greater the ability for not only personal advancement, but the
ability to shape our ever growing technologically driven society. As an
interactive, solution-focused platform, the aim is to provide support and
practical feedback to help the industry resolve current problems and change
long-standing behavioral patterns by building on strengths to identify and
achieve goals. Customizer.

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WELCO M E

"To be normal is the ideal aim of the unsuccessful"- Carl Jung

The mission of CyberSecPsych is to take the industry of Cyber Security and data
protection out of the computer room and into our living rooms so we can better
understand how the industry functions as a whole, where the gaps lie that
endanger the protection of society's most critical data, and how we as a
community can shape the way we operate in this space The more voices we have
involved, the greater the ability for not only personal advancement, but the
ability to shape our ever growing technologically driven society. As an
interactive, solution-focused platform, the aim is to provide support and
practical feedback to help the industry resolve current problems and change
long-standing behavioral patterns by building on strengths to identify and
achieve goals. Customizer.

SU B SCRI B E T O BLO G V IA E MA I L

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications
of new posts by email.

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