Rokeach’s key insight was that values are not held in isolation. They are organized into a hierarchy of importance. An individual’s value system is a stable ranking of these 18 terminal and 18 instrumental values.
This ranking is what predicts behavior. For example:
By asking respondents to rank (not rate) these values, Rokeach forced a trade-off analysis, revealing true psychological priority.
Rokeach collected data across large American samples (late 1960s–early 1970s). Major findings: rokeach m 1973 the nature of human values pdf
Before diving into the PDF, it is crucial to understand the author. Milton Rokeach (1918–1988) was a Polish-American social psychologist renowned for his work on dogma, authority, and human beliefs. Unlike many of his contemporaries who focused on attitudes, Rokeach argued that values are the central cognitive structures that determine how people form attitudes and behaviors.
His 1973 publication, The Nature of Human Values, was the culmination of over a decade of empirical research. In this book, he formally defined what a value is, how values organize into systems, and why understanding values predicts social behavior better than situational variables alone.
Rokeach argues that values are a core, organizing force in human personality, social attitudes, and behavior. Unlike transient attitudes or situational norms, values are enduring beliefs that guide actions, judgments, and self-concept across contexts. His goal: provide a systematic, empirically testable theory and measurement tool for understanding human values. Rokeach’s key insight was that values are not
Rokeach begins by distinguishing values from attitudes and personality traits.
A critical note on copyright: The Nature of Human Values (1973) is under copyright held by The Free Press (an imprint of Simon & Schuster). Copyright duration varies by country, but generally in the US, works published after 1964 remain protected for 95 years. As of 2025, this book is not in the public domain.
Searching for the "Rokeach M 1973 The Nature of Human Values PDF" is more than just a hunt for a digital file. It is a gateway to one of the most cited theoretical frameworks in social psychology, cross-cultural studies, and consumer behavior. By asking respondents to rank (not rate) these
Published over five decades ago, Milton Rokeach’s The Nature of Human Values remains a cornerstone text. If you are a student trying to locate the PDF for a research paper, or a scholar revisiting value theory, this article provides everything you need: a summary of the theory, the structure of the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS), its academic impact, and ethical guidance on accessing the PDF.
Rokeach’s most enduring contribution was his classification system. He argued that values are not a random collection of preferences, but a structured system organized along two distinct dimensions:
1. Terminal Values (The "Ends") These refer to desirable end-states of existence. These are the ultimate goals we strive for in life. Rokeach identified 18 terminal values, including:
2. Instrumental Values (The "Means") These refer to desirable modes of conduct—the behaviors or character traits we deem necessary to achieve the terminal values. He also identified 18 instrumental values, including: