- Human values are conceptions
of basic categories of desired. (Definition).
- By their nature they are cognitive representations of human motives,
- they are the result of evolution (of individual and of species); they
are learned
in the process of social learning,
- personality structures, responsible for development of values are
the self and
the super ego.
- Human values are absolutely
good, desired; there are no bad values or only partially good values.
Also the principle of universality is important - something could not
be a value for somebody and not for the other one. The all or
nothing principle holds true.
- Human values are conceptions
of basic categories of desired for: an individual, a society group or
the whole society and in general - for all living creatures who can
only be motivated.
- Conceptions of basic
categories of desired for an individual are personal values. There are
as many personal values as there are basic human motives (biological
and social).
- Human values are the
most general motivational goals. Above them no higher measures (supervalues)
exist which could be used for judgment of values importance or desiredness.
The principle of human values pluralism holds true.
- The most important
functions of human values are: As idealized, the most general goals
they motivate, they serve people as standards to judge social situations
and themselves, they serve as general decision making and conflicts
resolving plans and they are also conceptual tools for maintaining the
positive image of self.
- There is no human
values hierarchy in an absolute sense (see item 5!), but individuals
can make personal priorities of their values. For people also the developmental
consequence of values can be stated. The hierarchical model of human
values does not imply higher (more important) or lower (less important)
values but shows only the structure of relations among human values.
Broader clusters are named with terms that are themselves not values
any more.
- The measurement of
human values can not be absolute (see item 2!). But there exist great
differences in personal values priorities.
- Human values, personal
and social are quite stable. Changes in society bring new priorities,
not new human values.
- Correlations among
human values are weak; each basic human value contributes important
information about motivation.
- The human values space
is structured by two bipolar values macrodimensions. The first continuum
is dionisical - apolinical, the second one existential - self fulfillmental
(see the picture, generated by the multidimensional scaling method!).
Less than 10 human values clusters on the first level show motivational
characteristics of a middle range, such as: traditional family values,
values of potency, fulfillmental-spiritual values, existential-sensual
values, activity values, values of self-concept and autonomy, partnership
values, social values etc.

The first macrodimension:
DIONISICAL - APOLINICAL is a great dividing line between personal benefit
and pleasure on one side and altruism, common benefits and morality
on the other side.
The second macrodimension:
EXISTENTIAL - SELF FULFILLMENTAL reflects the Maslow's hierarchical
principle of basic human needs.
- The human
values universum is only weakly related to personality traits, measured
for instance by The Cattell 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire and
The Big Five Questionnaire. They are also weakly related to response
styles such as social desirability (measured by lie-scales). But human
values are characteristically related to sex differences, to age and
to the education level.
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