Achieving Society: Characteristics of Entrepreneurs, 1961

This study was undertaken to investigate the relation between need for achievement and entrepreneurial behavior among established businessmen of several cultures, in order to relate achievement motivation to actual business success. The sample consisted of male managers and professionals (e.g., doctors, lawyers, teachers, theologians) from the United States, Italy, Turkey, and Poland. Achievement motivation was assessed from the participants' written responses to six Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) cues. Data were also collected on background characteristics. Other American managers responded to interest and attitude questionnaires which were concerned with the participants' values, beliefs, and preferences regarding their work and business life. These data consist primarily of agree-disagree items such as "Seniority should be given greater weight than merit in giving promotions," "I like to work for an organization where some one person at the top makes the decisions so that others will know what they are supposed to do," and "I approve of a career or job outside the home for married women." The Murray Research Archive holds the following original record paper data: (1) Thematic Apperception Test protocols of (a) American middle and senior level managers of both public and private institutions (N=275), (b) Italian managers and professionals (N=305), and (c) Polish professionals (N=79); (2) the Business Attitude surveys from one group of American managers (N=62); and (3) the Interests and Attitudes survey of one group of American middle managers (N=139). The Murray Archive does not hold data collected from the Turkish professionals (N=65).