Rokeach M. -1973-. The Nature Of Human Values. New York Free Press ^hot^

Through his research, he identified 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.

Values are influenced by culture, institutions, and personality. Through his research, he identified and 18 Instrumental

: These represent "end-states of existence"—the ultimate goals an individual hopes to achieve in their lifetime. The RVS consists of two parts: one assessing

Rokeach developed the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), a widely used instrument to measure individual values. The RVS consists of two parts: one assessing terminal values and the other, instrumental values. Respondents are asked to rank-order a list of values in order of their importance. This ranking provides insight into an individual's value system, allowing researchers to identify patterns and relationships between values. while value differences underlie intergroup conflict.

“A value is a single belief that transcendentally guides actions and judgments across specific objects and situations.”

The "deep story" here is that conflict often arises when people share a Terminal Value (e.g., "We all want a safe society") but possess opposing Instrumental Values (e.g., "We should achieve safety through strict policing" vs. "We should achieve safety through social reform").

Structure and Organization of Values Rokeach emphasizes that values are not isolated items but exist in a relatively stable hierarchical system—a value structure or “value hierarchy”—in which some values are more central than others and exert greater influence on cognition and behavior. Importantly, he argues that the relative ranking of values matters: conflict, decision-making, and change processes are shaped by where competing values sit in an individual’s hierarchy. He also highlights the social dimension of values: groups and societies possess shared value structures that foster cohesion and norm formation, while value differences underlie intergroup conflict.