The instrumental values are those specific ways of acting that a person uses at a given time to achieve a desired goal. They allow to satisfy human needs and are socially accepted circumstantial behaviors.
In the early 1970s social psychologist Milton Rokeach determined that people reason differently when considering what they should do and what they can do, and created a securities survey that bears his name.
Rokeach deduced that when people think about ends they adopt the criterion of intrinsic value (that is, their permanent values), but when they think of the means to achieve an objective they apply the instrumental value as criterion.
Examples
Values represent ways of thinking and acting on the personal and social plane, and guide the behavior of people on the good and the bad, the desirable and the undesirable.
Taking into account the values established in the Rokeach survey, the following examples are given.
They are instrumental values that are used to have access to the terminal values, which are the goals that a person wants to achieve.
Work
Being a worker is an instrumental value that can be had to have access to terminal values such as professional success.
Perseverance
Being perseverant can be had to access a terminal value as reaching high goals.
Sympathy
Being friendly can be good for many friends.
Excellence
Excellence can serve to be more successful both personally and professionally.
Wide mind
In certain fields of life you can have an open mind. For example, in sex, when it comes to relating to other people, but not when it comes to our own children or family.
More competent when motivated
When a person likes what he does or needs to get a job or job promotion, he acts in the most efficient way possible to achieve that goal and become more competitive than other workers who aspire to the same job.
Demonstration of affection
Many times people are very dry showing affection to others.
For example, a father may be unloving to his children, but with the grandchildren he becomes a very affectionate person who allows behavior that he once reproached his own children for. This value indicates that one is not affectionate with all the people nor in all the circumstances.
Cleaning
Some people are likely to be neat and clean in certain places by established behavioral standards because if they are dirty or messy they could not access or stay on the site.
Courage
A person considered a coward could at some point react courageously in the defense of his political, religious or moral principles, or act with courage and determination based on his economic or family interests.
Show love
At the moment of conquering a girl or a boy, some try to be pleasant and become loving and friendly people, although this is not a permanent behavior.
Forgive others
To resolve a family or business dispute, people must turn the page to higher interests: they must forgive others who have hurt or attacked them.
Helpful
It is likely that a person has not always been helpful, especially in the home, but when living with other people this behavior is modified in payment or payment for the service rendered.
References
- Abbarno G, John M (2015): Inherent and Instrumental Values. University Press of America. Retrieved from books.google.co.ve
- Dewey, John (1939). Theory of Valuation. University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from books.google.co.ve
- Tiles, Mary; Oberdiek, Hans (1995). Living in a Technological Culture. Routledge. Retrieved from books.google.co.ve
- Zimmerman, Michael. "Intrinsic Vs. Extrinsic Value". In Zalta, Edward N. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from books.google.co.ve
- instrumental value. Consulted from oxfordreference.com
- Organizational behavior. Consulted from cursoco.weebly.com
- Instrumental Values: Definition & Examples. Consulted from study.com
- Intrinsic and Instrumental Value. Searched from thoughtco.com