Inhis book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904) German sociologist Max Weber introduced the term work ethic. Weber correlated the rise of European capitalism with Protestant values and theological Calvinist doctrines of dutiful work characterized by discipline and diligence. According to Weber’s thesis, in the social and economic context of late 19th to early 20th century Europe, work was an ethical commitment fueled by the desire for eternal salvation.
Weber addressed how the compulsive fixation on work as a source of spiritual deliverance, trapped people in an iron cage that stultified human potential and emotional fulfillment. He feared that along with the extravagant expansion in size and scope of industrialization an extreme bureaucratized future would result, causing one’s identity to get wrapped up in an endless cycle of labor that would hinder personal freedom.