Testing the functional theory of human values in an Argentinean sample

MURATORI, M.; DELFINO, G. I.; ZUBIETA, E. M.

Edimburgo

Congreso; 40th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP); 2017

Sociedad Internacional de Psicología Política

In recent years, numerous researches have focused their interest in the study of values. Although almost all literature agrees that values guide actions and are considered cognitive expressions of needs, multiple configurations of the value domain have been promoted. The present study evaluates the functional theory of human values proposed by Gouveia (1998, 2003), in a national sample of Argentinean participants (N = 1106. Age = 40.72, SD = 14.34. 48.3% men and 51.7% women). The author differentiates between two functional dimensions. The first dimension focused on the goals (personal, central or social goals) and, the second one, on the level of needs (survival or thriving needs). Results show that participants prioritize the existence values, which assure the basic conditions for biological and psychological survival, followed by interactive values, representing the needs of belonging, love and affiliation. The values considered less important to people were the ones focused on personal goals: promotion and excitement values. In terms of results, differences appear by analyzing gender and age. Women show a higher preference for the existence values compared to men. Also, women are more interested in higher-order needs of aesthetics, cognition, self-actualization and abstract ideas (suprapersonal values) and value more interpersonal relationships (interactive values) than men. Instead, men have a more personal and materialistic orientation in order to secure their self-esteem. Finally, older people showed a higher preference for the existence values and for the interactive and normative, that is, they care more about the social goals that younger people do.