Values Survey

Abstract

The Values Survey is a brief, adapted psychological instrument derived from the foundational assessment tool, A Study of Values (SOV), originally developed by Allport, Vernon, and Lindzey. This adaptation is primarily designed as an educational resource to provide preliminary insight into Gordon Allport’s theoretical framework concerning the measurement of fundamental human values. The survey utilizes a forced-choice ranking methodology to gauge relative preference across six value dimensions (Theoretical, Economic, Aesthetic, Social, Political, and Religious). Due to its significant brevity and non-standardized nature compared to the original SOV, the authors caution that the results obtained from this specific survey adaptation should be interpreted cautiously and should not be used for formal clinical or research assessment.

Keywords

Values, Allport, A Study of Values, Personality, Value Theory, Social Psychology, Assessment, Preference, Spranger’s Types

Authors

Gordon Allport, Philip E. Vernon, Gardner Lindzey (Original Authors of the referenced scale)

Purpose

The primary purpose of this specific Values Survey adaptation is illustrative: to introduce respondents to the core concepts of Gordon Allport’s seminal value theory. The instrument is structured to force respondents to choose and rank alternatives, thereby revealing the relative strength of six hypothesized value types as conceptualized in the original work. This exercise helps individuals identify their dominant motivational interests.

While the original A Study of Values was intended for rigorous psychological assessment of personality traits and values, this adaptation serves as a quick self-reflection tool, demonstrating the methodology of forced-choice ranking used to assess an individual’s hierarchy of motivating values within an educational or self-help context.

Construct

The underlying psychological construct measured by the parent instrument, and conceptually by this adaptation, is the hierarchy of human values, rooted in the theoretical work of Eduard Spranger. The scale measures an individual’s orientation toward six distinct types of values:

• The Theoretical: Characterized by a dominant interest in the discovery of truth, empirical knowledge, and systematic reasoning.
• The Economic: Focused on utility, practicality, efficiency, and the accumulation of wealth and resources.
• The Aesthetic: Concerned with form, harmony, balance, and artistic appreciation, prioritizing experience and beauty.
• The Social: Defined by altruism, love of people, philanthropy, and service toward others.
• The Political: Focused on power, influence, competition, and the desire to control or lead others.
• The Religious: Characterized by a mystical orientation, seeking unity, spiritual understanding, and comprehension of the cosmos.

These value types are considered core components of an individual’s personality structure, influencing decision-making, career choices, and overall life philosophy. The forced-choice format ensures that the constructs are measured dimensionally, reflecting relative preference rather than absolute endorsement.

Validity

Given that the Values Survey presented here is a brief, non-standardized adaptation, specific published psychometric data regarding its validity (e.g., criterion, construct, or content validity) are not available and are not typically sought, as its function is primarily pedagogical. The source material explicitly cautions against relying on its results due to its brevity.

However, the parent instrument, A Study of Values (SOV), upon which this adaptation is based, possesses extensive documentation supporting its psychometric rigor. The SOV has demonstrated satisfactory levels of construct validity through decades of research, showing expected correlations with career paths, educational majors, and observed behaviors consistent with the six theoretical value types proposed by Gordon Allport.

Reliability

As an unstandardized adaptation, the Values Survey does not have documented reliability coefficients (such as internal consistency or test-retest reliability). Users should recognize that the brevity of the scale inherently limits its capacity for high precision or stability in measurement.

In contrast, the original A Study of Values has consistently demonstrated adequate levels of internal consistency (often measured using split-half coefficients) and test-retest reliability across various populations and testing intervals, validating its use in formal psychological research and counseling settings.

Factor Analysis

No formal factor analysis has been published for this brief adaptation. The structure presented merely mirrors the item allocation strategy of the original work.

The development of the original A Study of Values relied on factor analytic methods to confirm that the items clustered according to the hypothesized six value dimensions (Theoretical, Economic, Aesthetic, Social, Political, and Religious). These analyses confirmed the underlying theoretical structure derived from Spranger’s typology, ensuring that the scale accurately differentiated between the six value orientations.

Instrument

Test Type: Illustrative/Educational Psychological Assessment Adaptation

Format: Forced-choice ranking of four alternatives (a-d) per item. Items are presented in a manner that requires the respondent to choose a preference order (1st to 4th) among statements representing different value types.

Language Available: English (as presented in the source content)

Population Group: General population interested in self-assessment or educational introduction to personality theory.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults

Population Details: The scale is based on the original SOV, which was primarily normed on college students and educated adults. This adaptation retains that focus, assuming a level of abstract reasoning necessary for ranking complex philosophical choices.

Test Methodology: Respondents rank four alternatives for each item using a 4-point ranking system: 1 = highest preference, 2 = second preference, 3 = third preference, 4 = lowest preference. The scoring aggregates these rankings across items corresponding to the six value dimensions to determine a relative hierarchy of values.

Keywords

Psychometrics, Value Hierarchy, Gordon Allport Theory, Forced-choice, Educational Tool, Personality Assessment, Theoretical Value, Economic Value

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Data pertains to an adaptation)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The specific test year for this brief online adaptation is not specified, but the original A Study of Values was first published in 1931, with subsequent revisions (1951, 1960). This adaptation appears to be freely available for educational use online, often without formal restriction, as it is a shortened, non-standardized version.

Formal permission, licensing fees, and copyright restrictions apply only to the official, commercially published versions of the A Study of Values, which must be secured from the current copyright holder for research or clinical use.

Reference’s

The following reference points relate to the instrument and its theoretical basis:

• Allport, G. W., Vernon, P. E., & Lindzey, G. (1960). A Study of Values: A scale for measuring the dominant interests in personality (3rd ed.). Houghton Mifflin.
• Source Content Link: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/valuestest.html

Items of the Values Survey

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