Milton Rokeach’s 1973 work, The Nature of Human Values , established that underlying "core values" drive human attitudes and behavior, proposing that individuals hold a small, hierarchical set of values. The text introduced the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), which measures 18 "terminal" (goals) and 18 "instrumental" (modes of conduct) values to predict social and personal actions. For more details, visit UCL Open - ScienceOpen . Rokeach Value Survey (RVS)
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These are the methods or behaviors a person uses to achieve their terminal values, such as being honest, loving, courageous, or obedient. Key Components of Rokeach's Theory
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ROKEACH'S VALUE FRAMEWORK │ └───────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘ │ ┌──────────────────┼──────────────────┐ ▼ ▼ ▼ ┌─────────────────┐┌─────────────────┐┌─────────────────┐ │ Marketing ││Political Science││ Sociology │ │Consumer behavior││ Ideology split ││ Cultural shifts │ │ & brand loyalty ││ Freedom vs Risk ││ & generation gap│ └─────────────────┘└─────────────────┘└─────────────────┘
The book’s most famous contribution is the , which separates human values into two distinct categories: rokeach m 1973 the nature of human values pdf
These represent goals a person would like to achieve during their lifetime (e.g., A Comfortable Life, Wisdom, Freedom, Equality, Family Security). There are 18 terminal values. B. Instrumental Values (Modes of Behavior)
The most practical and enduring contribution of the 1973 book is the . This simple yet powerful instrument comprises 36 values, divided into two distinct lists: Terminal and Instrumental values.
: Companies assess alignment between corporate value statements and the individual instrumental values of potential hires to ensure cultural fit.
While Rokeach's 1973 monograph remains a masterpiece of behavioral science, it has faced both academic validation and critique over the decades. Evolution into the Schwartz Theory of Basic Human Values Milton Rokeach’s 1973 work, The Nature of Human
Terminal values refer to . These are the ultimate goals that a human being wants to achieve during their lifetime.The 18 terminal values in the RVS are: A comfortable life (a prosperous life) An exciting life (a stimulating, active life) A sense of accomplishment (lasting contribution) A world at peace (free of war and conflict) A world of beauty (beauty of nature and the arts) Equality (brotherhood, equal opportunity for all) Family security (taking care of loved ones) Freedom (independence, free choice) Happiness (contentedness) Inner harmony (freedom from inner conflict) Mature love (sexual and spiritual intimacy) National security (protection from attack) Pleasure (an enjoyable, leisurely life) Salvation (saved, eternal life) Self-respect (self-esteem) Social recognition (respect, admiration) True friendship (close companionship) Wisdom (a mature understanding of life) Type 2: Instrumental Values (The "Means")
Decades after its 1973 publication, Rokeach’s text continues to form the bedrock of empirical research across several major industries:
Rokeach was dissatisfied with how psychologists treated values. He observed that while everyone used the term “value,” no one had a unified theory. Some saw values as purely economic; others saw them as moral imperatives. Rokeach’s 1973 book was his magnum opus—a comprehensive attempt to define, categorize, and measure values in a way that was scientifically rigorous yet accessible.
The impact of The Nature of Human Values has been immense and enduring. Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) This public link is
Modern corporate culture studies rely on Rokeach's concepts to assess "culture fit." Organizations use value assessments to align employee behaviors (instrumental values) with corporate missions (terminal values). Conclusion
: The book describes "self-confrontation" experiments where individuals were shown how their value rankings conflicted with their self-image (e.g., ranking "equality" low while considering themselves fair). These experiments demonstrated that making people aware of these inconsistencies could lead to long-term changes in values and behavior.
Rokeach argued that the total number of values a human holds is surprisingly small (around 18 terminal and 18 instrumental), and that all human conflict—from marital arguments to global wars—can be traced back to disagreements over the hierarchical ranking of these values.
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