ABSTRACT
This chapter refines the definition of the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE), describe the structure and range of PWE beliefs, and considers the overlapping psychological concepts. The PWE is nearly always referred to as a set or system of beliefs mainly, but not exclusively, concerning work. It is, of course, much more than that, being multi-dimensional and related to various aspects of social, political, and economic life. The considerable psychological work on need for achievement or achievement motivation can be traced back to the personality theorist Murray who included achievement as one of his twenty basic needs. The personality dimension is made up of various parts – which are described in psychoanalytic terminology as having weak egos reflected in the constructs of anti-intraception, superstition, stereotyping, and projectivity. Authoritarians have been shown to avoid situations that involve ambiguity, are reluctant to believe that ‘good people’ possess both good and bad attributes.
