Unemployment and ‘free time’ — the role of protestant work ethic and work involvement

Abstract

The paper examines the relationships between the degree of belief in the Protestant work ethic (PWE) and work involvement (WINV) with the non-work activities of unemployed individuals and with their psychological state, in view of the alleged negative role played by PWE and WINV in the process of coping with unemployment. Data were collected from 435 individuals with academic qualifications, all of whom had been unemployed and some were still unemployed at the time of data collection. Contrary to expectation it was found that individuals with high PWE or WINV turn to non-work activities more frequently while unemployed and derive more psychological benefit from such activities than individuals low on PWE and WINV. Discussed against the background of current beliefs regarding the psychological impact of unemployment, the results suggest that PWE and WINV, far from hindering individual coping with unemployment through non-work activities, may even contribute to this coping process.