Milton Rokeach's 1973 work, The Nature of Human Values , is a cornerstone of social psychology that redefined how we understand the internal beliefs guiding human behavior. Rokeach argued that values are not just abstract ideas but a finite, organized system of "enduring beliefs" that act as the primary reference points for our attitudes and actions.
Below is an overview of the book's core framework and its lasting impact on the study of human values. 1. The Distinction: Terminal vs. Instrumental Values
Rokeach’s most significant contribution was the classification of values into two distinct yet interconnected categories:
Milton Rokeach’s 1973 work, The Nature of Human Values, established a foundational framework for studying human motivation by distinguishing between "terminal" end-state values and "instrumental" behavioral values. He introduced the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) to scientifically measure individual and societal value hierarchies, arguing these rankings dictate attitudes and can change through self-reflection.
In his seminal 1973 work, The Nature of Human Values , social psychologist Milton Rokeach
argues that values—not attitudes—are the fundamental building blocks of human personality and the primary drivers of behavior. Published by the New York Free Press, this book serves as both a theoretical manifesto and a technical manual for the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), a tool that revolutionized the quantitative study of human beliefs. Core Framework: The Two Types of Values
Rokeach’s most significant contribution is his distinction between two functional categories of values, each consisting of 18 items:
Terminal Values: These represent "end-states of existence"—the ultimate goals an individual hopes to achieve in their lifetime.
Examples: A world at peace, family security, freedom, equality, wisdom, and happiness.
Instrumental Values: These are "preferable modes of conduct"—the methods or behaviors used to achieve those terminal goals.
Examples: Being ambitious, honest, logical, courageous, polite, and self-controlled. The Rokeach Value Survey (RVS)
Unlike previous psychological scales that measured intensity, Rokeach used a rank-order methodology. Participants arrange the 18 terminal values and 18 instrumental values in order of personal importance. VALUES LIST OF MILTON ROKEACH, 1973 - MIO-ECSDE
These are the ultimate goals we want to achieve in our lifetime. They are the destinations. Rokeach identified 18 terminal values, including: Milton Rokeach's 1973 work, The Nature of Human
When someone says, "I want to find meaning," or "I want to be rich," they are expressing a terminal value.
Rokeach reports large-scale U.S. surveys (late 1960s–early 1970s) and cross-cultural comparisons:
Before Rokeach, values were often seen as infinite and culturally relative. Rokeach’s deep story challenges this. He posits that while cultures differ, the number of core human values is surprisingly small.
Through his research, he identified 18 Terminal Values and 18 Instrumental Values. The profound implication is that human nature is universal in its building blocks; we are all playing with the same deck of cards, just arranging them in different orders. This allows for the scientific comparison of a politician, a prisoner, a student, and a factory worker on the same scale.
Rokeach defines 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.”
From this, he distinguishes:
| Type | Definition | Example | |------|------------|---------| | Terminal values | Desirable end-states of existence (goals worth achieving) | World peace, freedom, salvation, self-respect | | Instrumental values | Desirable modes of conduct (means to achieve terminal values) | Honest, ambitious, courageous, logical |
Each value has both personal and social preference dimensions. The total set of values is small (Rokeach identified 18 terminal + 18 instrumental values in his survey instrument).
Milton Rokeach’s The Nature of Human Values moves beyond the idea that humans are merely products of their environment or their urges. It paints a picture of humans as architects of meaning, using a specific set of tools (values) to build a life that makes sense. The "deep story" is that by looking at what a person values most, you can predict where they will go, who they will associate with, and how they will navigate the moral landscape of their life.
The Nature of Human Values (1973): Milton Rokeach’s Framework Published in 1973 by The Free Press, Milton Rokeach’s The Nature of Human Values is a landmark text in social psychology. It
presents a comprehensive, structured theory of how human values are formed, how they function, and how they can be measured to predict social and political behavior A Comfortable Life (a prosperous life) A Sense
Rokeach argued that values are the "central position" for understanding behavior, bridging diverse disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science. 1. Defining Values and Value Systems Rokeach defined 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 mode of conduct or end-state.
Key to his theory is that values are not isolated, but rather arranged hierarchically in value systems Hierarchical Structure:
Individuals rank values in order of importance, creating a stable system of priorities. Functional Purpose:
These systems act as internal standards for self-evaluation, behavior, and decision-making, allowing individuals to decide which value to sacrifice for another. 2. The Rokeach Value Survey (RVS)
To measure these systems, Rokeach developed the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), which is often considered the most influential part of the work. The survey asks participants to rank two sets of 18 values in order of importance: A. Terminal Values (Desired End-States)
These are goals a person would like to achieve in their lifetime.
A world at peace, equality, family security, freedom, happiness, self-respect, true friendship, wisdom. B. Instrumental Values (Modes of Conduct)
These are preferable behaviors or means to achieve terminal values.
Honest, ambitious, courageous, forgiving, helpful, intellectual, loving, responsible, self-controlled. 3. Core Principles and Findings Small Number of Core Values:
Rokeach believed that all human values could be encapsulated by a relatively small number of "terminal human values" that act as reference points for all attitudes. Predictive Power:
RVS rankings can predict a wide variety of behaviors, including voting patterns, religious beliefs, and interpersonal attitudes. Value-Attitude-Behavior Connection: When someone says, "I want to find meaning,"
Values form the basis of attitudes, which in turn drive behavior. Value Self-Confrontation:
Rokeach developed techniques for changing values, demonstrating that if individuals are shown that their values are inconsistent (e.g., valuing freedom but not equality), they will reorder their priorities to reduce self-dissatisfaction. 4. Significance and Application Environment & Society White Horse Press
This is as true of environment-human interactions as it is of any other area of human behaviour. As Rokeach (1973, p. 3) observed: Environment & Society Portal
1.4 Individual Differences: Values and Personality - FlatWorld
In the landscape of social psychology, few works have shaped the way we understand human motivation as profoundly as Milton Rokeach’s The Nature of Human Values. Published in 1973 by the Free Press, this book did more than simply list what people care about; it provided a structural framework for why people care about the things they do. By introducing the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) and distinguishing between "instrumental" and "terminal" values, Rokeach offered a tool that bridged the gap between abstract philosophy and empirical social science.
Before Rokeach, most researchers treated values as vague sentiments. Rokeach did something radical. He argued that values are not equal. They are organized in a stable hierarchy of importance.
He divided them into two types:
The genius move? He realized that conflict isn't between "good" and "bad" values. The real drama happens between two good terminal values.
Before Rokeach, the term "value" was used loosely and inconsistently. Philosophers debated ethics; sociologists spoke of norms; psychologists treated values as mere attitudes or needs. There was no shared operational definition. A researcher might define a value as "something desirable," while another might call it "a specific belief about how to behave."
Rokeach’s genius was to stop the conceptual drift. In the very first chapter of The Nature of Human Values, he provides a definition so precise that it has become the gold standard:
“A value is 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.”
Let’s dissect that. For Rokeach, a value is:
Crucially, Rokeach argued that values are not isolated. They form a system. Change one value, and you risk ripples through the entire network of a person’s identity. This systems-thinking approach was revolutionary.
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