Paper Title
TOWARDS A THEORY OF INTERPERSONAL SYMPTOMS OF TOBEPHOBIA EXPERIENCED IN THE WORKPLACE

Abstract
Abstract - Tobephobia (TBP) is the manifestation of the fear of failure (FF) that is commonly found in learning-working environments (LWEs). The presence and intensity of this FF in the LWE can differ from one organization to another. Workers lacking the required knowledge and skills to do their jobs effectively can result in them suffering from TBP. Tobephobic experiences of workers are also a manifestation of their leaders’ failures to address their anxieties and ineffectiveness in their jobs. Inevitably, leaders lacking emotional intelligence contribute to the toxic environment of their employees’ lack of job satisfaction. It is imperative for leaders to demonstrate interpersonal emotionally intelligent behaviors to address the needs of their workers. Fear, failure, and unhappiness are common interpersonal symptoms associated with employees’ anxieties and tensions experienced in their workplace. An attempt is therefore made in this paper to develop a theory of interpersonal symptoms of TBP experienced by employees in their working environments. This exploratory study examined seven interpersonal symptoms of TBP that affected the job behavior of employees. These interpersonal symptoms are fear, failure, sadness, unhappiness, agitation, disappointment, and hatred. A selected literature review was accomplished to develop the theoretical framework on the interpersonal symptoms of TBP. Hence, this research provides a valuable theoretical framework on the interpersonal symptoms of TBP to understand how the FF in the LWE affects the job behavior of employees. It paves the way for more research to be accomplished on TBP experienced by workers in their LWEs in different organizational settings globally. Keywords - Fear of Failure, Interpersonal Symptoms of Tobephobia, Learning-Working Environments