Why do people work Undoubtedly you have periodically asked yourself the same question, perhaps focused on why you have to work. "Self-interest" (26) , including the interests of family and friends, is a basic (27) for work in all societies. But self-interest can involve more than providing for existence or (28) wealth. Studies show that the vast majority of Americans would continue to work even if they (29) enough money to live comfortably. When people work, they gain a contributing place in society. The fact that what they receive pays for their work (30) that what they do is needed by other people and that they are a necessary part of the social fabric. Work is also a major social (31) for placing people in the larger social structure and for providing them with identities. In the United States, it is a blunt and (32) public fact that to do nothing is to be nothing and to do little is to be little. Work is commonly seen as the measure of an individual. Sociologist Melvin L. Kohn and his associates have shown some of the ways work affects our lives. Generally, people who (33) self-directed work come to value self-direction more highly, to be more open to new ideas and to be less authoritarian in their relationships with others. Moreover, they develop self-conceptions (34) these values, and as parents they pass these (35) on to their children. Our work, then, is an important socializing experience that influences who and what we are.