Some people are workaholics, and are using busywork to actively run away from their feelings and thoughts. Such people are quite vulnerable when there is a lull

Some people are workaholics, and are using busywork to actively run away from their feelings and thoughts. Such people are quite vulnerable when there is a lull in the available work. Some people are looking for confirmation from others to validate their own self worth. Some might work super hard to "prove themselves" (via others). If they recognition they desperately need is not forthcoming, they are quite vulnerable. Some are desperately looking for a purpose, and hope that $NextBigThing will be it. When they realize it is not it, they are quite vulnerable. None of these pathologies are particularly unique to developers, I think. Can happen to people in many kinds of professions.