The article presents the mutual relations between the components of work ethic and achievement goals: mastery- approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals. Work ethic was presented as a syndrome of the following attitudes: 1) perceiving work as a moral value, 2) treating work as a central value in life, and 3) the belief in the importance of hard work that leads to success. This ethic also consists of the following components: 4) unwillingness to waste time, 5) disapproval of spare time (anti-leisure), 6) willingness to delay gratification, 7) willingness to act honestly at work (morality/ethic), and 8) being independent (self-reliance). The research conducted on the sample of 206 employees showed that the dimensions of work ethic are related the most strongly, average and positively to mastery-approach goals but weakly to mastery-avoidance. Performance- approach and performance-avoidance goals correlate positively with only two dimensions: self-reliance and the belief in the importance of hard work. Morality is negatively related to performance goals (approach and avoidance). Being independent (self-reliance) correlates positively but weakly with mastery goals (approach and avoidance). The results show clearly that work ethic is associated with mastery-approach goals. A person who assesses work high, aspires to reach the standard of mastery and it is the motivation that relies mainly on aspiration. Key words: work ethic, achievement motivation, achievement mastery goals, goals
Antecedents and consequences of approach and avoidance achievement goals: A test of gender invariance
