Goal and Socially Valued Inventories

Abstract

The Goal and Social Valued Inventories represent a structured set of items designed to measure core domains of human values and life goals. This inventory, largely derived from structural analyses of value systems, organizes 43 specific value items into distinct factors, such as International Harmony and Equality, National Strength and Order, and Personal Growth and Inner Harmony. The instrument utilizes a 7-point scale to assess the importance individuals place on these goals and values. The factor structure and reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) provided suggest that the inventory offers a robust framework for investigating how individuals prioritize broad social, personal, and relational objectives, often used in studies of goal orientation and value psychology.

Keywords

Human Values, Social Goals, Goal Orientation, Rokeach Value Survey, Braithwaite, Value Inventory, Psychological Scale, Life Priorities, Cronbach’s alpha.

Authors

V. A. Braithwaite, H. G. Law, Truman Joseph Gore (user of the scale).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Goal and Social Valued Inventories is to empirically assess the structure and relative importance of various life goals and societal values held by respondents. It moves beyond simple lists of values by grouping specific items into cohesive, measurable factors (or dimensions), thereby providing researchers with a clearer understanding of underlying value systems.

This inventory is particularly useful in cross-cultural research, political psychology, and studies concerning moral development, as it captures the tension between communal/universalist goals (e.g., International Harmony) and individual/conservative goals (e.g., National Strength, Social Standing). By requiring participants to rate the importance of each item, the scale allows for detailed analysis of motivational priorities.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of Human Values, defined here as desirable, trans-situational goals, varying in importance, that serve as guiding principles in people’s lives. Specifically, the instrument operationalizes these values across nine broad dimensions identified through factor analytic techniques.

These dimensions cover essential domains of human existence, ranging from macro-social concerns like Equality and National Security, to micro-personal concerns like Physical Well-being and Inner Harmony. The inventory stands as a refinement or alternative structuring of value systems often studied using instruments like the Rokeach Value Survey, focusing on the specific goals and valued states that motivate behavior.

Validity

While explicit validity evidence is not detailed in the provided source fragment, the original work by Braithwaite and Law (1985) focused on testing the adequacy of the value structure, suggesting significant efforts in establishing construct validity. The establishment of distinct, conceptually coherent factors—such as separating global social welfare from nationalistic goals—lends support to the scale’s ability to measure theoretically distinct value domains.

Further studies utilizing this inventory, such as the 2014 thesis by Gore, confirm its utility in measuring variables relevant to Goal Orientations and Self-Efficacy, providing additional evidence for its criterion and predictive validity within motivational psychology contexts.

Reliability

The internal consistency reliability of the Goal and Social Valued Inventories is generally acceptable to good, as evidenced by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients reported for the subscales. These coefficients indicate the degree to which items within a specific factor measure the same underlying construct.

• International Harmony and Equality: alpha 0.83
• National Strength and Order: alpha 0.81
• Traditional Religiosity: alpha 0.70
• Personal Growth and Inner Harmony: alpha 0.73
• Physical Well-being: alpha 0.74
• Secure and Satisfying Interpersonal Relationships: alpha 0.68
• Social Standing: alpha 0.65
• Social Simulation: alpha 0.53 (Note: This factor exhibits lower reliability, suggesting potential refinement may be needed for this specific dimension.)

Factor Analysis

The structure of the inventory is based on rigorous Factor Analysis techniques, originally employed by Braithwaite and Law (1985) to assess the underlying dimensions of human values. This process resulted in the identification of nine distinct factors that structure the 43 individual value statements.

The factor analysis confirmed that values tend to cluster into meaningful groups reflecting motivational priorities (e.g., social vs. personal, conservative vs. progressive). These factors, such as International Harmony and Equality (10 items) and National Strength and Order (4 items), demonstrate adequate factor loadings, supporting the use of the derived subscales for research purposes and providing evidence for construct validity.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report inventory; Value assessment scale

Format: 43 items rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (Original research context suggests Australian/Western English usage).

Population Group: General population; utilized extensively in social psychology and organizational research.

Age Group: Adults and potentially older adolescents capable of abstract value judgment.

Population Details: Originally validated using diverse adult samples in studies focusing on value hierarchies and social attitudes.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate each value statement based on how important they accept it to be in their own lives, using the provided 7-point scale ranging from outright rejection to acceptance “as of the greatest importance.”

Keywords

Value Dimensions, Rokeach, Social Psychology, Personal Goals, Reliability Coefficient, Value Structure, National Values, Self-report inventory, Political Psychology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The instrument’s core structure was documented in 1985 by Braithwaite and Law. Permissions for use generally fall under standard academic research guidelines, often requiring citation of the foundational paper (Braithwaite & Law, 1985). No specific fee structure is provided, suggesting it is typically used freely for non-commercial academic research.

Reference’s

The Goal and Social Valued Inventories draw heavily on the work establishing the structure of human values, particularly the following foundational papers and subsequent applications:

Braithwaite, V. A., & Law, H. G. (1985). Structure of human values: Testing the adequacy of the Rokeach Value Survey. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 250-263.

Gore, Truman Joseph. (2014). Goal Orientations and Self-Efficacy Interactions on Self-Set Goal Level. Wright State University, Master of Science Thesis.

The instrument is accessible via the following publication link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232599525

Items of the Goal and Social Valued Inventories

International Harmony and Equality (alpha 0.83)

1. A good life for others (improving the welfare of all people in need)
2. Rule by the people (involvement by all citizens in making decisions that affect their community)
3. International cooperation (ha‎ving all nations working together to help each other)
4. Social progress and social reform ( readiness to change our way of life for the better)
5. A world at peace (being free from war and conflict)
6. A world of beauty (ha‎ving the beauty of nature and of the arts (music‚ literature‚ art‚ etc.)
7. Human dignity (allowing each individual to be treated as someone of worth)
8. Equal opportunity for all (giving everyone an equal chance in life)
9. Greater economic equality (lessening the gap between the rich and the poor)
10. Preserving the natural environment (preventing the destruction of nature’s beauty and resources)

National Strength and Order (alpha 0.81)

11. National greatness (being a united‚ strong‚ independent‚ and powerful nation)
12. National economic development (ha‎ving greater economic progress and prosperity for the nation)
13. The rule of law (punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent)
14. National security (protection of your nation from enemies)

Traditional religiosity (alpha 0.70)

15. Salvation (being saved from your sins and at peace with God)
16. Religious or mystical experience (being at one with God or the universe)
17. Upholding traditional sexual moral standards (opposing sexual permissiveness and pornography)
18. Sexual intimacy (ha‎ving a satisfying sexual relationship)

Personal growth and inner harmony (alpha 0.73)

19. Self-knowledge or self-insight (being more aware of what sort of person you are)
20. The pursuit of knowledge (always trying to find out new things about the world we live in)
21. Inner harmony (feeling free of conflict within yourself)
22. Self-improvement (striving to be a better person)
23. Wisdom (ha‎ving a mature understanding .of life)
24. Self-respect (believing in your own worth)

Physical well-being (alpha 0.74)

25. Physical development (being physically fit)
26. Good health (physical well-being)
27. Physical exercise (taking part in energetic activity)

Social Standing (alpha 0.65)

28. Recognition by the community (ha‎ving high standing in the community)
29. Economic prosperity (being financially well off)
30. Authority (ha‎ving power to influence others and control decisions)

Secure and Satisfying interpersonal relationships (alpha 0.68)

31. Mature love (ha‎ving a relationship of deep and lasting affection)
32. True friendship (ha‎ving genuine and close friends)
33. Personal support (knowing that there is someone to take care of you
34. Security for loved ones (taking care of loved ones)
35. Acceptance by others (feeling that you belong)

Social Simulation (alpha 0.53)

36. An active social life (mixing with other people)
37. An exciting life (a life full of new experience or adventures)

Individual Rights

38. Privacy for yourself (being able to keep your business to yourself)
39. A sense of ownership (knowing that the things you need and use belong to you)
40. A leisurely life (being free from pressure and stress)
41. Carefree enjoyment (being free to indulge in the pleasures of life)
42. The protection of human life (taking care to preserve your own life and the life of others)
43. Comfort but not luxury (being satisfied with the simple pleasures of life)

Response Scale:

1= I reject this‚ 2= I am inclined to reject this‚ 3= I neither reject nor accept this‚ 4= I am inclined to accept this‚ 5= I accept this as important‚ 6= I accept this as very important‚ 7= I accept this as of the greatest importance