1

Study of Values

Introduction

The American psychologist Gordon William Allport (1897-1967) is

known primarily for his personalistic theory, one of the first attempts to explain

personality human from the psychology, emphasizing the individuality of each

human being and the active aspect of our nature, which drives us to achieve goals

(Allport,1937).

The Allport-Vernon Study of Values (SOV) is one of the earliest,

theoretically well-grounded questionnaires measuring personal values on the basis

of declared behavioral preferences. The SOV was first published in 1931 by G.

W. Allport and P. E. Vernon (1931) and the SOV was originally published in

1931 as the Allport Vernon Study of Values but in 1951 was revised and

renamed. A third edition was published in 1960 and a fourth in 2003. The latter

developed by U.S vocational psychologist Richard E. Kopelman and colleagues

which is also called Study of Values Gordon W. Allport, Philip E. Vernon

(1905–1987), British psychologist; Gardner Lindzey, later revised in 1970 by

Allport, Vernon, and G. Lindzey (1970). It is a psychological tool designed to

measure personal preferences of six types of values: theoretical, economic,

aesthetic, social, political, and religious. The method is rooted in a philosophy of

values by E. Spranger who postulated six ideal types of people corresponding to

their most important and general beliefs, ways of thinking, and preferred patterns

of living (Kopelman etal,2003).

2

Each one is oriented toward a basic value:

Theoretical: seeks truth, follows rational and critical interests, attempts to

systematize and order his knowledge (Kopelman e tal,2003).

Economic: stresses the practical and useful, interested in accumulating wealth and

in the marketing and production of goods a typical businessman (Kopelman e

tal,2003).

Asthetic: values form and harmony above all things, enjoys each impression for

its own sake, judges things and people according to fitness, symmetry,and grace

(Kopelman e tal,2003).

Social: loves people and views them as ends rather than means, values kindness,

sympathy, and unselfishness (Kopelman e tal,2003).

Political: stresses renown, influence, and personal power not only in the political

arena but in his vocation (Kopelman e tal,2003).

Religious: primarily interested in comprehending the cosmos as a whole,

concerned with the unity of all experience (Kopelman e tal,2003).

Two-part personality test designed to show the relative importance of six

basic values in the participant’s life: theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social,

political, and religious. The categories are based on Spranger’s typology and

presented in the form of 45 items to which participants respond. Part one consists

of 30 statements, each describing a situation with two alternative choices;

3

participants must choose which option they prefer and indicate the strength of that

preference by distributing three points between the two alternatives (1-2, 2-1, 0-3,

3-0). Part two consists of 15 questions, each with four alternative answers;

participants must rank the answers in order of preference (Allport e tal,1960).

The purpose of a values test is to help individuals identify and prioritize

their personal values. The values are beliefs or principles that guide individual in

their behavior and decision-making. Knowing one’s own values can help with

making important life decisions, setting goals, and understanding what is truly

important in life (Allport e tal,1960).

The Study of Values (SOV) continues to be a valuable tool in psychology

and other social sciences for understanding individual and cultural values. Here

are some current uses of the study of values: (Schwartz e tal, 2018).

Research: The SOV and its various revisions have been used extensively in

research to explore the relationship between values and behavior, attitudes,

personality, and other variables. Researchers use values tests to measure and

compare values across different populations, cultures, and time periods (Schwartz

e tal, 2018).

Counseling and therapy: Values tests can be used in counseling and therapy to

help individuals identify and clarify their values, which can be useful in making

important life decisions and achieving personal goals. For example, values

clarification exercises may be used to help individuals struggling with career

decisions or relationship issues (Schwartz e tal, 2018).

4

Education: Values education is becoming increasingly important in schools and

universities. Values tests can be used in educational settings to help students

identify and prioritize their values and to encourage critical thinking and ethical

decision-making (Schwartz e tal, 2018).

Organizational management: Values tests can be used in organizational

management to help identify the values and beliefs that are important to

employees and to align organizational values with those of its employees. This

can lead to better job satisfaction, higher productivity, and increased

organizational commitment (Schwartz e tal, 2018).

Cross-cultural understanding: The study of values can help us better understand

and appreciate different cultural perspectives. By studying the values that are

important to different cultures, we can gain a deeper understanding of their

beliefs, traditions, and practices, and develop greater empathy and respect for

cultural diversity (Schwartz e tal, 2018).

Subject Particulars

Name Aleena Islam

Age 20

Gender Female

Qualification Undergraduation

Marital status Single

Test Material
5

1. Pencil.
2. SVS test questionnaire.
3. Calculator.
4. Stop Watch

Procedure

Before taking I as a subject, I were briefed about the purpose of the Test
that this test is to measure the personality level. At the start of the session a
standard manual of Study of Values was provided to me with the general
instructions that “this personality test consists of two parts. The first part consists
of 30 statements with 2 alternatives. The second part consists of 15 statements
with 4 alternatives. Over all, there are 45 statements with 120 alternative answers.
You must give your preference numerically by the side of alternative answers”.

The Subject that was me was seated comfortably. It was ensured that the
Subject is comfortable and has free time (30-45 mins) to complete the test. For
this test the answer sheet was given to me to mark all of my answers.

I was provided by a quiet and calm room with no noise and external
interference to fully concentrate on the test without any mental stress and
pressure. The choice was given to me to select the time for the test so to avoid any
time contradiction so to reduce the chances of error in the test results.The
Procedure took place in a proper time management. Time begun at 5:15pm and
ended at 5:40pm. The total time taken for the procedure was 25 minutes.

Result

Page Theoretic Econom Aesthet Soci Politic Religio The

total al ic ic al al us sum
of
score
s
Part 1 (R) 6 (S) 3 (T) 0 (X) 5 (Y) 6 (Z) (4) 24
6

Page 3
Page 4 (Z) 6 (Y) 6 (X) 3 (T) 4 (S) 5 (R) 0 24
Page 5 (X) 3 (R) 6 (Z) 3 (S) 1 (T) 2 (Y) 6 21
Page 6 (S) 0 (X) 3 (Y) 3 (R) 6 (Z) 0 (T) 9 21
Part 2 (Y) 6 (T) 10 (S) 9 (Z) (R) 11 (X) 12 60
Page 8 12
Page 9 (T) 12 (Z) 8 (R) 4 (Y) 8 (X) 7 (S) 11 50
Page 10 (R) 3 (S) 10 (T) 8 (X) 6 (Y) 5 (Z) 8 40
Total 36 46 30 42 36 50 240
Correctio +2* -1 +4 -2* +2 -5
n figure
Final 38 45 34 40 38 45 240
Total

Theoretica Economi Aestheti Socia Politica Religiou

l c c l l s
Final 38 45 34 40 38 45
Total
Interpretatio 26 - 45 28 - 48 31 - 54 33-51 29 - 46 31 - 56
n

Discussion

After performing the test, I calculated the result. Firstly I make sure that

every questions has been answered. Then 1½ for each alternative, the sum scores

for (a) and (b) must always be equal to 3 then 2 ½ for each alternative, the sum of

the scores for the four alternatives must be equal to 10. I added the vertical

columns of scores on each page and enter the total in the boxes at the bottom of

the page R, S, T, X, Y, Z. I transcribed the totals from each page in the space of
7

the table which is labeled with the same letter. Then I add the total for the six

columns. The total score for all the six columns must be equal to 240. Some out

the six columns and subtract or add the correction figure as was indicated the total

score of each column is as follow theoretical 38, economic 45, aesthetic 34, social

40, political 38 and religious 45. The scores of six columns were 240 which is

equal to the given sores.Then I compared the obtained score with expected ranges

and concluded highly outstanding interpretation. Then I plot the score in the graph

by marking points on the vertical line for each value. Six points for each values

should be connected by drawing lines.

 8

References

Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York, NY:

Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Allport, G. W., Vernon, P. E., & Lindzey, G. (1960). A study of values (Vol. 6). Boston,

MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Kopelman, R. E., Rovenpor, J. L. And Guan, M. 2003. “The Study of Values:

Construction of the Fourth Edition.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 62:203-

220.

Schwartz, S. H., Boehnke, K., Stromberg, C., & Sagiv, L. (2018). The structure

and dynamics of basic values in a changing world. Journal of Personality

and Social Psychology, 115(2), 338-355.

9