Understanding Human Values

by Milton Rokeach

This volume presents theoretical, methodological, and empirical advances in understanding, and also in the effects of understanding, individual and societal values.

Genres: Psychology

230 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1979

Reviews

[Ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of studies grappling with the concept of human values through Rokeach's relatively simple yet compelling survey tool. While rooted in 1970s American culture and values of the time, 'Understanding Human Values...' remains inspiring today, particularly for social scientists whose work requires concise explanation of novel and repeatable methodologies.

[Carol Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of studies relating to both sociology and psychology of human values, a slightly contentious area of research since there is so little agreement as to how human values should be defined and measured with several competing methods of measurement currently in use - the Rokeach Value Survey, Inglehart and Weizl's method used currently by the World Values Survey, Kluckhohn & Strodtberg's Value Orientation theory, the Schwartz Value Survey and a number of hybrid systems.

The book includes essays by US sociologist Robin Williams, one of the pioneers of human values research, and Norman Feather whose work on migrants in Australia and book Values in Education and Society have strongly influenced educational theory. It offers a good overview of the various schools of thought in human values research.

Taking an inter-disciplinary approach it aims to go beyond the conceptualization and measurement of individual values to the conceptualization and measurement of supraindividual values and a consideration of the reciprocal relationship between the two. It attempts to draw attention to some major determinants and consequences of value organization within both the individual and society extending in several directions earlier experimental work concerned with the effects of inducing self-awareness about one's own and others' values on long-term changes in values,attitudes and behaviour and, from an analysis of the crucial role values play in all insitutional settings within a society it directs special attention to the role that values and value education play in the context of educational insitutions. A number of useful short studies are included by way of example as to how the measurement of human values can be applied in sociological and psychological research relating to the effects of the media/computing on human values. It is a valuable addition to the library of any student engaged in this fascinating, if still embryonic, line of research.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a helpful (if perhaps dated) primer on the psychological study of human values. Most of the research presented was conducted in the 1960's and 1970's and has more to do with political orientation than personal values. However, the Rokeatch Values Scale has been widely used for personal values measurement as well. The major method of influencing values is by inducing self-dissatisfaction by presenting information that either makes people aware of inconsistencies between stated values and behavior or by causing them to reflect differently on their values. It is unclear how much of this work actually causes people to redefine the terms versus to change their underlying values. (Or, it may also be that the prompts "prime" people to make more socially acceptable decisions or to apply more weight to a specific value because a larger volume of information has been made salient, even though their value system is unchanged.) Moreover, although the authors maintain that values change is unidirectional - can only be induced if people are self-sensitized to the relevant values - the argument is not entirely convincing, as institutions do inculcate their own values (and there are 2 chapters dedicated to exploring this reality).

In societies which embrace moral pluralism, should various institutions (e.g., medicine, education, religion, politics, family) attempt to be transparent about the values they inculcate and those they educate, rather than claiming value-neutrality in those outside religion and family? Should we begin to be clear about the overlaps between the various domains, and how we prioritize them?

[Aya]

very interesting