Survey of Interpersonal Values (SIV)

Abstract

The Survey of Interpersonal Values (SIV), developed by Leonard V. Gordon in 1960, is a standardized psychological instrument designed to assess an individual’s relative importance placed upon six distinct dimensions of interpersonal values. Utilizing a unique forced-choice format, the SIV attempts to minimize the influence of social desirability bias often found in traditional self-report measures. This instrument has been widely used in educational, counseling, and organizational settings to understand motivational factors, predict job satisfaction, and analyze social behavior patterns.

The scale measures an individual’s hierarchy of preferences concerning how they interact with others and what they seek from social relationships. The six core dimensions assessed are Support, Conformity, Recognition, Independence, Benevolence, and Leadership.

Keywords

Interpersonal values, social psychology, forced-choice, L. V. Gordon, SIV, support, conformity, recognition, independence, benevolence, leadership, values assessment, psychometrics.

Authors

Leonard V. Gordon

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Survey of Interpersonal Values (SIV) is to provide a reliable and systematic measure of the six fundamental values that govern an individual’s behavior and attitudes within social and professional contexts. By employing a triadic comparison methodology, the scale forces respondents to prioritize these values, revealing their underlying motivational structure rather than simply measuring how much they endorse socially desirable traits.

The results of the SIV are valuable for vocational guidance, personnel selection, and understanding group dynamics, as they highlight which interpersonal needs (e.g., needing recognition versus valuing independence) are most salient for an individual.

Construct

The SIV measures six core interpersonal values, which are defined as follows:

• Support: Being treated kindly and receiving encouragement from others; being understood and receiving comfort.
• Conformity: Doing what is socially correct; following rules and customs; doing what is expected of one.
• Recognition: Being looked up to and admired; receiving attention and favorable notice; standing out from the crowd.
• Independence: Being free to make one’s own decisions; doing things one’s own way; relying primarily on oneself.
• Benevolence: Doing things for other people; helping others; being generous and providing assistance.
• Leadership: Being in a position of authority; directing the work and actions of others; supervising and influencing subordinates.

Validity

The validity of the SIV is primarily supported through its construct validity, demonstrated by correlations with other personality measures and vocational interest inventories. The use of the forced-choice format is a critical design feature intended to enhance validity by mitigating response sets, particularly social desirability, ensuring that scores reflect genuine value prioritization rather than mere endorsement of positive statements.

Early research by Gordon and colleagues showed meaningful relationships between SIV scores and criterion variables such as occupational choice and academic success, particularly among specialized populations like medical students. Subsequent studies have confirmed that the scale effectively differentiates between groups holding distinct value systems (e.g., different career paths or cultural backgrounds).

Reliability

Reliability estimates for the SIV, typically reported in the scale manuals, generally indicate acceptable levels of internal consistency and stability. Internal consistency, measured using methods such as split-half coefficients, often falls in the range of the high .70s to low .80s for the six subscales, suggesting that the items within each value dimension are cohesive.

Furthermore, test-retest reliability studies, which assess the stability of scores over time (e.g., several weeks), demonstrate that the SIV measures relatively stable, enduring traits. These stability coefficients are typically moderate to high, indicating that an individual’s hierarchy of interpersonal values remains consistent.

Factor Analysis

The SIV was theoretically derived to measure six distinct factors of interpersonal orientation. Factor analytic studies conducted on the scale generally provide support for this six-factor model, confirming that the items load significantly onto their intended scales (Support, Conformity, Recognition, Independence, Benevolence, and Leadership).

However, the nature of the forced-choice ipsative scoring requires careful interpretation of factor analysis results, as the interdependence of the scores (a high score on one scale necessitates lower scores on others) can sometimes lead to slight intercorrelations among the factors. Despite this, the instrument remains one of the established tools in psychometrics for assessing values.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report inventory; Standardized Psychometrics Test

Format: Forced-choice format (Triads). Respondents select the statement that is ‘Most’ (M) important and the one that is ‘Least’ (L) important within each set of three statements.

Language Available: Primarily English (Original); translations are available in various languages.

Population Group: General population, widely used in educational, counseling, and occupational settings.

Age Group: High school students and adults.

Population Details: Appropriate for use with individuals possessing standard literacy skills.

Test Methodology: The instrument consists of sets of three statements (triads). The examinee must choose one statement as ‘most important’ (M) and one as ‘least important’ (L) to them, thereby ranking their values relative to one another.

Keywords

Values assessment, personality traits, counseling, organizational psychology, forced-choice methodology, vocational guidance, attitude measurement.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Refer to the publisher (originally Science Research Associates, later absorbed by other testing companies).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Survey of Interpersonal Values (SIV) was first published in 1960, with a supplementary revised manual issued in 1963. The original publisher was Science Research Associates (SRA). Current usage typically requires licensing and payment of fees to the current intellectual property holder, often a major psychological testing corporation. The instrument is generally proprietary.

The original PDF for related measures can be downloaded here: https://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/infoserv/isrpub/pdf/Measuresofsocialpsychologicalattitudes2928.PDF

Reference’s

• Gordon‚ L. (1960). Survey of interpersonal values. Chicago: Science Research Associates‚ 1960; supplementary revised manual‚ 1963.
• Gordon‚ L. and Mensch‚ I. (1962). Values of medical students at different levels of training. Journal of Educational Psychology‚ 53‚ 48-51.
• Gordon‚ L. V. (1963). Research briefs on survey of interpersonal values. Science Research Associates‚ 7‚ 2761-08.
• Robinson‚ John P.‚ Shaver‚ Phillip R. (1969). Measures of Political Attitudes. Institute for Social Research‚ University of Michigan/. Ann Arbor‚ Michigan.
• Paden‚ Betty Burns. (1970). “A Comparison of Six Personal Values as Measured by the Survey of Personal Values Among Six Groups of Evanston Township High School Students se‎lected According to Race and Economic Factors”. Loyola University. Dissertations. Paper 1067. http://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/1067

Items of the Survey of Interpersonal Values (SIV)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

• To work on something difficult
• To have well-defined goals or objectives
• To keep my things neat and orderly
• To be practical and efficient
• To seek amusement or entertainment
• To continually improve my abilities
• To know exactly what I am trying to accomplish
• To look at things from a practical point of view
• To take direct action toward solving a problem
• To do new and different things
• To do things in an outstanding fashion
• To have a very definite objective to aim for
• To keep my goals clearly in mind
• To schedule my time in advance
• To act with firm conviction
• To come to decisions without delay
• To get full use out of what I own
• To direct my efforts toward clear-cut objectives
• To attain the highest standard in my work
• To have a well-organized life
• To be able to travel a great deal
• To take proper care of my things
• To settle a problem quickly
• To be systematic in the things I do
• To have new or unusual experiences
• To get full value for what I spend
• To have well-organized work habits
• To do things I never did before
• To do more than is generally expected of me
• To know exactly what I am aiming for
• To hold firmly to my beliefs
• To have a variety of experiences
• To finish something once started
• To shop carefully for the things I buy
• To come to a definite decision on matters
• To keep things in their proper place
• To be methodical in my work
• To experience an element of danger
• To struggle with a complex problem
• To have a challenging job to tackle
• To visit new and different places
• To have a definite goal toward which to work
• To take good care of my property
• To stick firmly to my own opinions or beliefs
• To plan my work out in advance
• To have an objective in mind and work toward it
• To do things that are highly profitable
• To accomplish something important
• To try out different things
• To do things in an organized manner
• To do an outstanding job in anything I try
• To lead a well-ordered life
• To be very careful with my possessions
• To always come directly to the point
• To go to strange or unusual places
• To be systematic in my work
• To stick with a problem until it is solved
• To set the highest standard of accomplishment for myself
• To have very specific aims or objectives
• To do things that are new and different
• To keep my things in good condition
• To devote all my energy toward accomplishing a goal
• To make my position on matters very clear
• To take frequent trips
• To do things according to a schedule
• To make decisions quickly
• To be very careful with my money
• To be able to overcome any obstacle
• To do things that are dangerous or exciting
• To have strong and firm convictions
• To have well-defined purposes
• To always keep myself neat and clean
• To do things that will pay off
• To be a very orderly person
• To take a definite stand on issues
• To experience the unusual
• To always get my money’s worth
• To work on a difficult problem
• To have an important job to tackle
• To approach a problem directly
• To do things in a methodical manner
• To know precisely where I am headed
• To strive to accomplish something significant
• To do things in a practical and efficient manner
• To follow a systematic approach in doing things
• To come to a decision and stick to it
• To take very good care of what I own
• To seek adventure
• To have a definite course of action in mind
• To be able to do things in a superior manner

The six dimensions measured are: 1) support‚ 2) conformity‚ 3) recognition‚ 4) independence‚ 5) benevolence‚ 6) leadership.

The administration instructions state that statements are grouped into sets of three. The examinee must find the one statement of the three which represents what they consider to be most important to them (M), and the one of the remaining two statements that represents what they consider to be least important to them (L).