Milton Rokeach's " The Nature of Human Values" (1973) is a seminal work in social psychology that introduced a systematic way to measure and categorize human beliefs. Its core "feature" is the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), a classification system that divides values into two distinct categories: Terminal and Instrumental. The Core Feature: The Rokeach Value Survey (RVS)
The RVS consists of 36 values that individuals are asked to rank in order of importance to them as "guiding principles in their life". 1. Terminal Values (The "Ends")
These refer to desirable end-states of existence—the ultimate goals a person would like to achieve in their lifetime.
Examples: A world at peace, family security, freedom, equality, self-respect, happiness, wisdom, and national security.
Function: They represent the "where you want to end up" in life. 2. Instrumental Values (The "Means")
These refer to preferable modes of behavior—the methods or traits one uses to achieve their terminal goals.
Examples: Being ambitious, broad-minded, capable, cheerful, honest, imaginative, independent, and courageous. Function: They represent the "how you want to get there". Key Theoretical Pillars (PDF) Rockeach Values - Academia.edu
In this book, Rokeach argues that values are the most central constructs in a person's cognitive system, acting as the standards that guide our actions, attitudes, and judgments. Core Features of Rokeach's Value Theory The Definition of a Value
Rokeach defines a value as an "enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence." Two Categories of Values (The Rokeach Value Survey)
The most famous feature of the book is the division of values into two distinct sets: Terminal Values:
These refer to "end-states of existence." They are the ultimate goals a person wants to achieve during their lifetime (e.g., rokeach m 1973 the nature of human values pdf
A World at Peace, Freedom, Equality, Self-Respect, Happiness Instrumental Values:
These refer to "modes of conduct." They are the methods or behaviors used to reach the terminal values (e.g., Honest, Ambitious, Courageous, Independent, Responsible The Value Hierarchy
Rokeach suggests that humans do not just "have" values; we organize them into a hierarchy of importance. When values conflict (e.g., "Freedom" vs. "Security"), our behavior is determined by which value sits higher in our personal ranking. Value Change through Cognitive Dissonance
The book explores how people change. Rokeach found that if you make a person aware of inconsistencies between their values and their behavior (or between two of their own values), the resulting "self-dissatisfaction" often leads to a long-term shift in their value system. Social and Political Implications
Rokeach famously used his survey to map political ideologies. For example, he argued that ranks both high, while ranks both low, and Capitalism
The core feature of Milton Rokeach's seminal work, The Nature of Human Values (1973), is the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) classifies human values into two distinct categories: Instrumental Key Features of the Rokeach Model Terminal Values (18 items)
: These represent desirable end-states of existence—the ultimate goals a person wants to achieve in their lifetime (e.g., world peace, happiness, freedom, wisdom). Instrumental Values (18 items)
: These are preferable modes of conduct or means of behavior used to achieve the terminal goals (e.g., honesty, courage, ambition, helpfulness). Rank-Order Methodology
: Unlike traditional rating scales, the RVS requires participants to rank each set of 18 values in order of importance. This forces individuals to make trade-offs, reflecting their personal "value system". Cognitive Consistency
: Rokeach posited that values are more central to a person's identity than attitudes or beliefs. He argued that if a person becomes aware of inconsistencies between their values and their behavior, they are likely to change their behavior to maintain a consistent self-image. Google Books Full Value Lists Terminal Values (Ends) Instrumental Values (Means) A comfortable life An exciting life Broad-minded A sense of accomplishment A world at peace A world of beauty Courageous Family security Inner harmony Imaginative Mature love Independent National security Intellectual Self-respect Social recognition True friendship Responsible Self-controlled Milton Rokeach's " The Nature of Human Values"
The book serves as a foundational manual for the survey, demonstrating how these ranked values can predict a wide range of human behaviors, from political affiliation to religious belief. You can find more detailed summaries and scholarly discussions on platforms like ResearchGate Google Books political behavior social change VALUES LIST OF MILTON ROKEACH, 1973 - MIO-ECSDE
In his 1973 book, The Nature of Human Values , social psychologist Milton Rokeach
defined a value as an "enduring belief" that a specific mode of conduct or state of existence is personally or socially preferable to its opposite . His work introduced the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS)
, a widely used tool that helps individuals and researchers understand human motivation by ranking 36 core values. ResearchGate Core Framework: Terminal vs. Instrumental Values
Rokeach divided the human value system into two interconnected categories: Wiley Online Library
The RVS is the book’s central empirical tool. It consists of two alphabetically ordered lists (18 terminal, 18 instrumental values), each accompanied by a short descriptive phrase.
Format:
Example terminal values (abbreviated):
Example instrumental values:
Milton Rokeach (1918–1988) was a Polish-American social psychologist who taught at Michigan State University, the University of Western Ontario, and Washington State University. He is best known for his work on dogmatism (The Open and Closed Mind, 1960) and, of course, human values. The Definitive Guide to Rokeach (1973): "The Nature
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.
He passed away in 1988, but his intellectual legacy lives on through the Rokeach Value Survey, which remains one of the most widely used psychometric tools in the world.
The Internet Archive (archive.org) sometimes holds a scanned lending copy. You can “borrow” the PDF for one hour or 14 days by creating a free account. This is perfectly legal (controlled digital lending).
| Criticism | Explanation | |-----------|-------------| | Forced ranking | Rankings obscure absolute importance; all values are scaled relative to each other, not independently. | | Cultural specificity | RVS developed in U.S.; cross-cultural use requires adaptation (e.g., “salvation” irrelevant in some cultures). | | Self-report bias | Social desirability affects rankings (e.g., ranking “honest” high even if not truly prioritized). | | Limited value set | 36 values may not capture all important human values (e.g., power, tradition, hedonism – later expanded by Schwartz). | | Causal direction | Rokeach assumes values cause attitudes/behavior, but reverse causality and reciprocal influence are plausible. |
Once you locate the file, proper citation is mandatory. Here is the standard APA 7th edition format:
Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. Free Press.
In-text citation example: (Rokeach, 1973, p. 5)
If you are quoting the definition of a value, note that page 5 is the canonical citation for the "enduring belief" definition.
Oddly, physical copies are often cheaper than legal PDFs. As of 2024, used hardcovers can be found for $15–$30. You can then scan the RVS appendix yourself for research.
