Values - Concept, Research and Alternative Approach

Abstract

This article discusses values and their role in forming and developing different societies. In the article we address basic theoretical issues: in particular modernization theory and stages in its development, modernization and democracy development, the classification of values and their changes, as well as results of the World Values Surveys. Also, we consider methodological difficulties and problems related to the surveys and in conclusion we offer a complementary methodological approach in studying values and their development. The notion of value takes a prominent place in social science. Values are important at both macro and micro levels.

Societies and their individual institutions are formed around the values, the values help define at which level of development is a society, nation, individual institution or person. Every day theoretical and practical discussion and comparison of values take place. As a result, based on the presence of certain values and the structure of their hierarchy the stage of social development can be defined and compared to previous stages. When they try to classify values and based on that diagnose the stage of social development, most often people refer to the concept of American political scientist Ronald Inglehart. In this article we

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