University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 1994 The contemporary work ethic: An exploration of culture and structure in post-industrial society Marcia J. Ghipina University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Ghipina, Marcia J., "The onc temporary work ethic: An exploration of culture and structure in post-industrial society" (1994). Doctoral Dissertations. 1780. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/1780 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Ghidina Bachelor of Arts, Drake University, 1982 Master of Arts, University of New Hampshire, 1990 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology May, 1994 This dissertation has been examined and approved. Dissertation Director/' Bud B. Khleif Professor of Sociology Michael J. Donnelly Associate Professor of Sociology lOJs & James E. Tucker Assistant Professor of Sociology R. Val Dusek Associate Professor of Philosophy — Allen R. Thompson Associate Professor of Economics \A~ /'?'?+— D’at e To Jan and the rest of my family iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many kind people have contributed to the completion and experience of this dissertation. Obviously, though not always obvious to us in the social sciences, no sociological research project would be possible without the cooperation and consideration of those individuals who we call "subjects" or "objects" of our research. In reality, they are people, human beings, who, for whatever reason, agree to enable us to pursue our endeavors and to poke and prod into their lives, thoughts, and feelings. I thank all those individuals who agreed to speak with me and who, with sincerity and patience, answered my seemingly unending "Whys." It is because of such individuals, of such expressions of humanity (even when they became tired of the whys) that I continue to find great pleasure and fulfillment, both professionally and personally, in qualitative research. While the experience of interviewing was consistently fulfilling, it would not have been possible without the assistance of those who linked me with the participants. Pat Poole single-handedly contacted and procured many people of varying occupations at a time when it seemed unlikely that an interview sample would ever take shape. While everyone could not be interviewed, having those who were and knowing those who could be was of tremendous assistance and support. Don Babb and Melissa Acker were also very helpful in connecting me with groups of workers who were willing to be interviewed and who would have otherwise been very difficult to contact. Paul Braese was similarly helpful as were Mike Doyle, Jacki Silar, Karen Rose, David Malecki, Jill Anderson, and an anonymous UAW chapter. Members of the Sociology Department at the University of North Carolina at Asheville were consistently supportive. Walt Boland provided subtle encouragement and facilitated a teaching schedule which made writing the dissertation possible. Keith Bramlett, Bill Haas, Steve Legeay, and Heidi Kelley were as understanding and supportive as one could ever hope of colleagues who were burdened with various academic and personal responsibilities of their own. Their kindness has not gone unnoticed. Finally, Sandra Gravely, Lynn Miller, and especially Carol Hutchinson have individually and collectively brought sanity, compassion, and hilarity to my day-to-day work life as well to the process of completing my dissertation. In addition to Carol's professional skills and capabilities, it is her seemingly unending patience and kindness that I treasure and appreciate. And what would the survival of a grueling endeavor such as a dissertation be without good friends? Mary Anne Wichroski and I managed to inflate our phone bills v handsomely, yet the constant comfort our conversations brought to me were worth any amount of money. My graduate experience was brightened by having completing it side-by- side with her and this pleasure, more than the misery of preliminary exams, will remain with me for a long time. Linda Olson has also been a steady and limitless source of support and encouragement. It is only with her that I have been able to share my deepest dissertation anxieties and fears and for this I am ever grateful. Steve Sweet has also been a fine graduate comrade and I have enjoyed and appreciated our exchanges of commiseration and consolation and will continue to enjoy having him as a colleague. Deena Peschke watches birds and, quite similarly, watches graduate students come and go. Beyond endless and often unappreciated work responsibilities, she often reaches out and touches us too. I have been one of the lucky ones and because of this, I have passed through her office but I will not leave her life. The researching and writing of a dissertation or any major project is facilitated in a variety of ways. In nearly all of these ways, Jan Harrow has lent consistent and untiring instrumental and emotional supportive (though in editing, she would have deleted several of those adjectives). In addition to editing, many of my domestic duties were waived as were my responsibilities of being a considerate and thoughtful human being. In many ways, the completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the sustenance she offered and for this I am very grateful. Finally, I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee: Michael Donnelly, Val Dusek, Allen Thompson, and Jim Tucker all of whom were both insightful in their criticisms and suggestions and supportive of the completion of my project. I would especially like to thank Bud Khleif, the chair of my dissertation committee, who seemingly without pause reviewed my endless drafts, wrote prompt memos for revisions, and generally kept the dissertation process rolling. I could not imagine having a more supportive and helpful chair and without his encouragement and contribution, completing the dissertation would have been a much longer and difficult process. Most of all, as my mentor, Professor Khleif has taught me that it is possible to be professionally successful without sacrificing respect for others and for oneself — and this, as much as academic knowledge, I will carry into my own professional and personal life. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ............................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................ iv LIST OF TABLES ...................................... xi ABSTRACT ................................................. xii CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION: WORK AND THE WORK ETHIC ....... 1 Research Questions and Method .............. 7 Definition of Work and the Traditional Work Ethic .................. 10 II. WORK AND THE WORK ETHIC: PAST, PRESENT, AND CROSS-CULTURAL CONCEPTIONS ......... 19 Historical Conceptions of Work ............. 20 The Protestant Ethic ....................... 30 Relevance of Historical Conceptions to Current Research ........ 41 Non-Western Conceptions of Work ........... 42 Summary ..................................... 50 III. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE CONTEMPORARY WORK ETHIC ................. 52 The Substantive Nature of Mass American Culture ................... 55 Structural Changes in the Nature of Work ... 67 The