Work and Occupations

The generality claimed for the Herzberg two-factor theory of job satisfaction is still debated in the literature. This study examines the issues involved which a bipartite analysis of job satisfaction gives rise to by, firstly, thoroughly conceptualizing the phenomenon of job satisfaction and, secondly, empirically testing the proposition that the Herzberg hypothesis is an oversimplification of the relationship between variables because it fails to take account of variations in orientation to work relative to the work situation. The basic themes of the motivator-hygiene dichotomy and the "orientation" variable have been operationalized by stating the testable hypotheses in terms of probability. Corroboration of the null hypothesis was sought in each case since it was predicted that the test of hypotheses would validate the "pervasive influence" of variations in orientation to work relative to employment.

The sociology of professions has focused mainly on identifying the characteristics of the ideal type of profession and the processes whereby an occupation moves toward full professionalization. The reverse trend of development, that of deprofessionalization, has not yet received much systematic attention. It is proposed that current changes in the functions and position of the professions require broadening the scope of analysis to include the concept of deprofessionali zation. It will be argued that the sources of a probable process of deprofession alization stem primarily from the core characteristics of professionalism itself—the knowledge base and the ideal of service.

Specialization of medical practice in bureaucratic settings has created a situation where the individual is often treated according to universalistic and impersonal criteria. The hospital volunteer enters this health care system with a radically different expertise and organizational relationship compared to the salaried workers. The mandate of "helping" the patient and vague organizational ties create a problematic but necessary role for this lay person in a bureaucratic setting.

After fitting the Protestant ministry to a model of Papanek's "two-person career, " this paper utilizes data from a survey of 448 ministers' wives to examine hypotheses relating to some of Papanek's contentions. As expected, respondents showed a high acceptance of the principle of vicarious achievement—fulfillment through the husband and his work. Further, higher rates of participation in ministry-related activities were accompanied by lessening rates of participation in the work force, thus supporting the notion of occupational "derailment." However, the hypothesis that the educational system socialized women into the vicarious achievement of the two-person career was not supported and a more complex analysis of the functions of higher education is suggested.

Based on a survey of 335 former major league baseball players, college education was found to be incompatible with sports performance but positively associated with postbaseball occupational achievement. Athletic scholarship recipients, when compared with nonsupported college peers, were characterized by lower levels of playing ability and limited occupational success. The results are discussed in terms of three distinct "ideal-typical" career profiles based on differences in baseball skill, commitment to baseball, and later occupational achievement. The results seriously compromise the myth of occupational mobility for the sports hero.