Protestant Work Ethic (PWE)

Question 1

Weber

Answer 1

• religious beliefs (socialisation) leads to behaviours which can in turn lead to to economic success –> time / credit is money

1. Doctrine of calling - all work is good and of God’s glory - no one does any work that is not important, beliefs lead to economic development, idolness is bad and work is good. They deserve it and do not waste.
2. Doctrine of predestination - success and rich are ‘chosen’, and poor are ‘doomed’
3. Strong asceticism - wealth is to be invested, and not spent - do not spend ostentatiously
4. Doctrine of sanctification - stress on rational and use of personal control and moral decision making

Question 2

Franklin (1784)

Answer 2

Gave a guideline to young people

1. temperament
2. silence
3. order
4. resolution
5. frugality
6. industry
   etc. ..

Weber quoted Franklin - to be diligent, and to not be idle, for time is money. Credit is money, and to put it to good use. Be frugal in consumption, do not waste money on inessentials. Do not lend money and lie idle. Can invest, profits reinvested.

Question 3

PWE and science

Answer 3

PWE values science to understand the world of God - beliefs lead to an increase in science - values rationality, which ironically changes religious beliefs - Paradox - Nobel peace prizes often won by religious people.

Question 4

PWE and economic growth

Answer 4

do they work together?
McClelland - inter relationships among key variables related to economic achievement
- middle class and mesomorphic physique = high achievement --> entrepreneurial rewards
- child rearing variables e.g. warmth + low father dominance --> high achievement in individual processes
- absence of slavery --> high achievement in cultural products e.g. children's stories --> role of economic development

Question 5

PWE and electric power consumption

Answer 5

countries outside the tropics of cancer and capricorn

• P countries received a rank difference of 10.1
• C consumed and used a rank difference of 15.7
• P countries are more commercialised

Question 6

Giorgi & Marsh (1990)

Answer 6

link between work ethic and religion - still in modern day there is PWE, the effete of a countries religious culture is more potent than the religious beliefs of an individual

Question 7

Pechams & Moetter (1962)

Answer 7

rise in achievement imagery from 1800-1960, and a weak decline over a period after. Data corresponds to cultural trends (images of hard work and success)

Question 8

Bradburn & Berlew (1961)

Answer 8

• P have greater self reliance values due to independence training by parents (middle class receive less pocket money, and have to work for it, so learn that pleasure comes later), greater achievement in children, lending to economic and technical development

Question 9

Criticisms of McClelland’s model

Answer 9

• methodology - unreliable, projective techniques, data used to show support for theory rather than test it
• data used to show support for theory rather than test it
• theory - little examination of social/cultural factors lending to achievement growth - incoherent theory

Question 10

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Answer 10

story told by a pp about a pic - shows needs and motivations. Points given for themes of PWE mentioned in story. Points given to children for achievement arousal, affiliation arousal and power arousal
- BUT reliable/valid?, need goal achievement imagery

Question 11

Mirrels & Garrett (1971)

Answer 11

PWE scale - 19 questions, 7 point Likert scale (no neutrality). Furnham (1993) - says that it predicts validity - high PWE score - more concerned that migrants will have jobs.

Question 12

Miller et al. (2002)

Answer 12

MWEP (multidimensional work ethic profile) - 65 item self report measures

• self reliance
• hard work

Question 13

Woehr & Lim (2007)

Answer 13

accepted across other languages and genders - international cohorts

Question 14

Furnham (1982)

Answer 14

PWE relates to taxation beliefs - similar to political ideology
- therefore not demographic age, and not income that differentiates people to tax beliefs, but specific beliefs and attitudes - similar to political ideology differences

Question 15

Furnham & Quillery (1989)

Answer 15

• PES (protestant ethic scale)
• prisoners dilemma game (PDG)
• game play strategies
• either conventional (maths), or business (stimulation)
• buisness stimulation elicited more competative scores than conventional - high PES = more competitive
• more competition leads to a lower score
• predictive validity

Question 16

Is PWE alive and well?

Answer 16

yes - e.g. sport

can current PWE beliefs predict economic development?

Question 17

Jaffee

Answer 17

• work ethic predicts economic growth. Therefore individuals are ultimately responsible for their status and position in society
• but work ethic is malleable and can be modified
• PWE is changing, but not noteworthy, been changing and adapting for years
• average work day decline, jobs disappear and reappear, labour intensive jobs gone, age of retirement declining, working women increasing, education of workers increasing

Question 18

Fergusson (2011)

Answer 18

competition, science, property rights, medicine, consumer society, work ethic

• if there is a PWE decline, when did it happen? why did it decline?
• PWE does not always predict economic development, beliefs corresponding to behaviour - predicts infrastructure as well.

Question 19

Lynne (1991)

Answer 19

Spence-Helmraich Work Ethic Scale and economic growth

• Bulgarian students scored lower on WE scale compared to American students.
• competativeness - money habits and savings ware predictors of growth, but not welt. therefore related to economic growth