David McClelland’s seminal work on the Need for Achievement (nAch), crystallized in The Achieving Society (1961), transformed motivation psychology by showing that a learned inner drive to excel—seeking mastery, setting challenging but attainable goals, and taking personal responsibility for outcomes—powerfully shapes individual success and national prosperity; building on Henry Murray’s (1938) concept of psychogenic needs and the Thematic Apperception Test, McClelland and colleagues such as John Atkinson (1957, 1964) demonstrated that nAch predicts entrepreneurial behaviour, educational attainment, and economic growth, while later contributions by Heinz Heckhausen (1977) clarified goal-directed action and by David Winter and McClelland (1976) linked achievement motives to ethical leadership patterns that balance power with responsibility; viewed through a Christian lens, nAch resonates with a vocation-centred faith that honours diligent stewardship and purposeful effort—“commit your work to the Lord” (Prov. 16:3), “run in such a way as to obtain the prize” (1 Cor. 9:24), and the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14–30) affirm striving for excellence in service rather than ego—so when achievement motives are guided by love of neighbour and humility (Mic. 6:8), they foster personal wellbeing through meaning and competence while strengthening societal health by encouraging innovation, integrity, and shared flourishing rather than mere status seeking.