VALUES AND PEACE EDUCATION WITH SCHOOL CULTURE

Values: Definition, Characteristics, Importance, Types, Sources

Value has been taken to mean moral ideas, general conceptions, or orientations towards the world or
sometimes simply interests, attitudes, preferences, needs, sentiments, and dispositions.
But sociologists use this term more precisely to mean “the generalized end which has the connotations of
rightness, goodness or inherent desirability.” It is important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the
members of a culture about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable. It greatly influences a
person’s behavior and attitude and serves as broad guidelines in all situations.
The value represents fundamental convictions 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.

Values Definition
Goodley defines the term value as “any characteristic deemed important because of psychological, social,
moral, or aesthetic considerations.” Popularly it means anything or any thought or speculation that is
considered worthy of making life and living useful and satisfactory.
Ryle (1949) expresses values as ‘dispositions’ which incline us towards specific structures, tasks, and
patterns of behavior.
Values are the principles or standards of behavior. It is the core beliefs that guide and motivate attitudes
and actions. Values help us to decide whether something is good or bad, right or wrong.
Values are defined in Organizational Behavior as the collective conceptions of what is considered good,
desirable, and proper or bad, undesirable, and improper in a culture.
Some common business values are fairness, innovation, and community involvement.
According to M. Haralambos, “A value is a belief that something is good and desirable.”
According to R.K. Mukherjee, “Values are socially approved desires and goals that are internalized through
the process of conditioning, learning or socialization and that become subjective preferences, standards,
and aspirations.”
According to Zaleznik and David, “Values are the ideas in the mind of men compared to norms in that they
specify how people should behave. Values also attach degrees of goodness to activities and relationships.”
Values are an integral part of the personal philosophy of life, by which we generally mean the system of
values by which we live. The philosophy of life includes our aims, ideals, and manner of thinking and the
principles by which we guide our behavior.
According to T. W. Hippie, “Values are conscious or unconscious motivators and justifiers of the actions
and judgment.”
A value is a shared idea about how something is ranked in terms of desirability, worth or goodness.
Sometimes, it has been interpreted to mean “such standards by means of which the ends of action are
selected.”
Sometimes, it has been interpreted to mean “such standards by means of which the ends of action are
selected.”
Thus, values are collective conceptions of what is considered good, desirable, and proper or bad,
undesirable, and improper in a culture.
Familiar examples of values are wealth, loyalty, independence, equality, justice, fraternity, and friendliness.
Familiar examples of values are wealth, loyalty, independence, equality, justice, fraternity, and friendliness.
These are generalized ends consciously pursued by or held up to individuals as being worthwhile in them.
It is not easy to clarify the fundamental values of a given society because of their sheer breadth.
Characteristics of Value
Values are different for each person. These can be defined as a person’s ideas or beliefs, desirable or
undesirable. The variability in that statement is, first, what a person could value and, second, the degree to
which they value it.
Values may be specific, such as honoring one’s parents or owning a home, or they may be more general,
such as health, love, and democracy. ‘Truth prevails”, “love thy neighbor as yourself, and “learning is good
as ends itself” are a few examples of general values.
Individual achievement, personal happiness, and materialism are major values of modern industrial
society.
It is defined as a concept of the desirable, an internalized creation or standard of evaluation a person
possesses.
Such concepts and standards are relatively few and determine or guide an individual’s evaluations of the
many objects encountered in everyday life.
The characteristics of values are:
 These are extremely practical, and valuation requires techniques and an understanding of the
strategic context.
 These can provide standards of competence and morality.
 These can go beyond specific situations or persons.
 Personal values can be influenced by culture, tradition, and a combination of internal and external
factors.
 These are relatively permanent.
 These are more central to the core of a person.
 Most of our core values are learned early in life from family, friends, neighborhood schools, the
mass print, visual media, and other sources within society.
 Values are loaded with effective thoughts about ideas, objects, behavior, etc.
 They contain a judgmental element in that they carry an individual’s ideas as to what is right, good,
or desirable.
 Values can differ from culture to culture and even from person to person.
 Values play a significant role in the integration and fulfillment of man’s basic impulses and desires
stably and consistently appropriate for his living.
 They are generic experiences in social action made up of both individual and social responses and
attitudes.
 They build up societies and integrate social relations.
 They mold the ideal dimensions of personality and depth of culture.
 They influence people’s behavior and serve as criteria for evaluating the actions of others.
 They have a great role to play in the conduct of social life. They help in creating norms to guide day-
to-day behavior.
  The values of a culture may change, but most remain stable during one person’s lifetime.
Socially shared, intensely felt values are a fundamental part of our lives. These values become part of our
personalities. They are shared and reinforced by those with whom we interact.
Since values often strongly influence attitude and behavior, they serve as a personal compass for employee
conduct in the workplace.
This helps determine whether an employee is passionate about work and the workplace, which can lead to
above-average returns, high employee satisfaction, strong team dynamics, and synergy.
Importance of Values
Values are the enduring beliefs that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or
socially preferable.
These are more difficult to change or alter. As ethical conduct receives more visibility in the workplace, the
importance of values is increased as a topic of discussion in management.
Values are general principles that regulate our day-to-day behavior. They not only give direction to our
behavior but are also ideals and objectives in themselves.
They are the expression of the ultimate ends, goals, or purposes of social action.
Our values are the basis of our judgments about what is desirable, beautiful, proper, correct, important,
worthwhile, and good as well as what is undesirable, ugly, incorrect, improper, and bad.
Pioneer sociologist Durkheim emphasized the importance of values (though he used the term ‘morals’) in
controlling disruptive individual passions.
He also stressed that values enable individuals to feel that they are part of something bigger than
themselves.
E. Shils also makes the same point and calls ‘the central value system’ (the main values of society) seen as
essential in creating conformity and order.
Indian sociologist R.K. Mukherjee writes: “By their nature, all human relations and behavior are embedded
in values.
Value is the foundation for understanding the level of motivation.
It influences our perception.
Value helps to understand what ought to be or what ought not to be.
It contains interpretations of right or wrong.
These influence attitudes and behavior.
It implies that certain behaviors and outcomes are preferred over others.
These allow the members of an organization to interact harmoniously. These make it easier to reach goals
that would be impossible to achieve individually.
These goals are set for achievements, and they motivate, define, and color all our cognitive, affective, and
connective activities.
They are the guideposts of our lives and direct us to who we want to be.
Values and morals can guide, inspire, and motivate a person, giving energy and a zest for living and doing
something meaningful.
Actually, values are important to the study of organizational behavior because they lay the foundation for
the understanding of attitudes and motivation.
Individuals enter an organization with preconceived notions of what “ought” or what “ought not” to be. Of
course, these notions are not value-free.
These are part of the makeup of a person. They remind us as to what is important in our lives, such as
success or family, but also, by virtue of their presence, they provide contrast to what is not important.
That is not to say that, over time, values cannot change. As we grow and change as individuals, we will
begin to value different aspects of life.
If we value- family when we are younger, as our children get older, we might start to value success in
business more than the family.
Understanding the Significance of Values in Society
The values present a true perspective of the development of any society or nation. They tell us to what
extent a society or nation has developed itself. Values, their virtues, ideals, and qualities on which actions
and beliefs are based, are the guiding principles that shape our worldly outlook, attitudes, and conduct.
Sources of Values
Sources of Value are a comprehensive guide to financial decision-making suitable for beginners as well as
experienced practitioners.
It treats financial decision-making as both an art and a science and proposes a comprehensive approach
through which companies can maximize their value.
Generally, no values tend to be relatively stable and enduring.
A significant portion of the values we hold is established in our early years by parents, teachers, friends,
and others. There are so many sources from which we can acquire different values.
Sources of values are;
Family: Family is a great source of values. A child leams his first value from his family.
Friends & peers: Friends and peers play a vital role in achieving values.
Community or society: As a part of society, a person leams values from society or different groups of
society.
School: As a learner, schools and teachers also play a very important role in introducing values.
Media: Media such as – Print media and electronic media also play the role of increasing values in the
minds of people.
Relatives: Relative also helps to create values in the minds of people.
Organization: Different organizations and institutions also play a vital role in creating value.
Religion.
History.
Books.
Types of Values
Values refer to stable life goals that people have, reflecting on what is most important to them.
These are established throughout one’s life as a result of accumulating life experiences and tend to be
relatively stable. The values that are important to people tend to affect the types of decisions they make,
how they perceive their environment, and their actual behaviors.
Moreover, people are more likely to accept job offers when the company possesses the values people care
about.
Value attainment is one reason people stay in a company, and when an organization does not help them
attain their values, they are more likely to leave if they are dissatisfied with the job itself.
Rokeach divided values into two types.
The values important to people tend to affect their decisions, how they perceive their environment, and
their actual behaviors.
There are two types of values are
1. Terminal Values.
2. Instrumental Values.
Terminal Values
Terminal Values are most desirable to humans, and Instrumental values are views of how human desires
should be achieved.
These are values that we think are most important or desirable.
Terminal Values refer to desirable end-states of existence, the goals a person would like to achieve during
his or her lifetime.
They include happiness, self-respect, recognition, inner harmony, leading a prosperous life, and
professional excellence.
Instrumental Values
Instrumental values deal with views on acceptable modes of conductor means of achieving the terminal
values.
These include being honest, sincere, ethical, and ambitious. These values are more focused on personality
traits and character.
There are many typologies of values. One of the most established surveys to assess individual values is the
Rokeach Value Survey.
This survey lists 18 terminal and 18 instrumental values in alphabetical order. They are given below:
Terminal Values Instrumental Values
A comfortable life (a prosperous life) Ambitious (hardworking)
An exciting life (a stimulating, active life) Broadminded (open-minded)
A sense of accomplishment (lasting Capable (competent, efficient)
contribution)
A world of peace (free of war and conflict) Cheerful ( lighthearted, joyful)
A world of beauty (the beauty of nature and Clean (neat, tidy)
the arts)
 Equality (brotherhood, equal opportunity for Courageous (standing up for your beliefs)
all)
Family security (taking care of loved ones) Forgiving (willing to pardon)
Freedom (independence, free choice) Helpful (working for the welfare of others)
Happiness ( contentedness) Honest (sincere, truthful)
Inner harmony (freedom from inner conflict) Imaginative (daring, creative)
Mature love (sexual and spiritual intimacy) Independent (self-reliant, self-sufficient)
National security (protection from attack) Intellectual (intelligent, reflective)
Pleasure (an enjoyable, leisurely life) Logical (consistent, rational)
Salvation (saved, eternal) Loving (affectionate, tender)
Self-respect(self-esteem) Obedient (dutiful, respectful)
Social recognition (respect, admiration) Polite (courteous, well-mannered)
A true friend (close companionship) Responsible (dependable, reliable)
Wisdom ( a mature understanding of life) Self-controlled (restrained, self-disciplined)
The values a person holds will affect his or her employment.
For example, someone who has an orientation toward strong stimulation may pursue extreme sports and
select an occupation that involves fast action and high risks, such as a firefighter, police officer, or
emergency medical doctor.
Someone who has a drive for achievement may more readily act as an entrepreneur.
Several studies confirm that the RVS values vary among groups. People in the same occupations or
categories (e.g., corporate managers, union members, parents, and students) tend to hold similar values.
For instance, one study compared corporate executives, members of the steelworkers’ union, and
members of a community activist group.
Although a good deal of overlap was found among the three groups, there were also some very significant
differences.
The activists had value preferences that were quite different from those of the other two groups.
They ranked “equality” as their most important terminal value; executives and union members ranked this
value 12 and 13, respectively. Activists ranked “helpful” as their second-highest instrumental value.
The other two groups both ranked it 14. These differences are important because executives, union
members, and activists are vested in what corporations do.