The Protestant work ethic and Type A behaviour: overlap or orthogonality?

Abstract

This investigation explored the conceptual and empirical linkages between the Protestant work ethic (PWE) and the Type A behaviour pattern (TABP). Considering the apparent similarities between these work-related variables, surprisingly little is known about the relationship between them. In one sample ( N = 214), a global Type A measure correlated significantly but weakly with the PWE, while in another ( N = 136) the nature of the PWE-TABP relationship depended on the particular TABP subscale under consideration; i.e. near-zero for “impatience-irritability” but positive for “achievement strivngs”. These findings are consistent with the earlier work of Furnham ( Psychological Reports, 66, 323–328, 1990). Additional analysis suggests, however, that the overlap between these variables is attributable to the influence of the need for achievement. When the effects of this third variable are held constant, the PWE is orthogonal to the TABP.