Kluckhohn Strodtbeck 1961

Unit 4 General Psychological Issues in Cultural Perspective
Subunit 4 Personality and Values Across Cultures

Article 3

8-1-2002

Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck 's Values Orientation
Theory
Michael D. Hills
University of Wikato, New Zealand, [e-mail]

Recommended Citation
Hills, M. D. (2002). Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck 's Values Orientation Theory. Online Readings in
Psychology and Culture, 4(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1040
This Online Readings in Psychology and Culture Article is brought to you for free and open access (provided uses are educational in nature)by IACCP and ScholarWorks@GVSU. Copyright © 2002 International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. All Rights Reserved. ISBN
978-0-9845627-0-1

Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck 's Values Orientation Theory
Abstract
People 's attitudes are based on the relatively few, stable values they hold. Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck 's (1961) Values Orientation Theory proposes that all human societies must answer a limited number of universal problems, that the value-based solutions are limited in number and universally known, but that different cultures have different preferences among them. Suggested questions include humans ' relations with time, nature and each other, as well as basic human motives and the nature of human nature. Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck suggested alternate answers to all five, developed culture-specific measures of each, and described the value orientation profiles of five SW USA cultural groups. Their theory has since been tested in many other cultures, and used to help negotiating ethnic groups understand one another, and to examine the inter-generational value changes caused by migration.
Other theories of universal values (Rokeach, Hofstede, Schwartz) have produced value concepts sufficiently similar to suggest that a truly universal set of human values does exist and that cross-cultural psychologists are close to discovering what they are.
Creative Commons License

This work is

References: Allport, G. W., Vernon, P. E. & Lindzey, G. (1931, 1951 & 1960). Study of values: A scale for measuring the dominant interests in personality Berry, J. W. (1969). On cross-cultural comparability. International Journal of Psychology, 4, 119-128 Hills, M. D. (1977). Values in the South Pacific. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the New Zealand Psychological Society in Auckland, New Zealand. Hills, M. D. & Goneyali, E. (1980). Values in Fijian families (Monograph). Hamilton, New Zealan: University of Waikato, Department of Psychology. Hills, M. D. (1998). Developing the Kluckhohn-Strodtbeck Values Orientation Instrument in New Zealand Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture 's consequences: International differences in work-related values Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture 's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations Kluckhohn, C. K. (1949). Mirror for man: the relation of anthropology to modern life. Kluckhohn, C. K. (1951). Values and value orientations in the theory of action. In T. Kluckhohn, F. R. & Strodtbeck, F. L. (1961). Variations in value orientations. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson. Kroeber, A. L. & Kluckhohn, C. K. (1952) Culture: A critical review of concepts and definitions Lane, R. H. (1976). Polynesia and Europe meet: A new heritage. Unpiublished master’s thesis, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand, Psychology Department. Rokeach, M. (1979) Understanding human values: Individual and societal. New York: The Free Press. Russo, K. (Ed). (1992). Our people, our land: perspectives on the Columbus Quincentenary Russo, K. W. (Ed). (2000). Finding the middle ground: Insights and applications of the Value Orientations method Russo, K., Hills, M. D. et al. (1984). Value orientations in the Lummi Indian community and their commercial associates Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 cultures Segall, M. H., Dasen, P. R., Berry, J. W., & Poortinga, Y. H. (1999). Human behavior in global perspective: An introduction to cross-cultural psychology (2nd ed) Wrightsman, L. S. (1992). Assumptions about human nature: implications for researchers and practitioners (2nd edition) Produced by The Berkeley Electronic Press, 2011 13