Values and Behavior: Strength and Structure of Relations

TLDR

The study investigates whether the full range of values differentially relates to common behaviors, which values are strongest, and whether these relations exhibit a meaningful overall structure. The authors conduct three studies to resolve key questions about how values relate to behavior. The results show that stimulation and tradition values strongly predict their corresponding behaviors, hedonism, power, universalism, and self‑direction values moderately, and security, conformity, achievement, and benevolence values only marginally; normative pressures partly obscure these relations, yet the shared structure of value‑behavior associations can be explained by motivational conflicts and congruities.

Abstract

Three studies address unresolved issues in value-behavior relations. Does the full range of different values relate to common, recurrent behaviors? Which values relate more strongly to behavior than others? Do relations among different values and behaviors exhibit a meaningful overall structure? If so, how to explain this? We find that stimulation and tradition values relate strongly to the behaviors that express them; hedonism, power, universalism, and self-direction values relate moderately; and security, conformity, achievement, and benevolence values relate only marginally. Additional findings suggest that these differences in value-behavior relations may stem from normative pressures to perform certain behaviors. Such findings imply that values motivate behavior, but the relation between values and behaviors is partly obscured by norms. Relations among behaviors, among values, and jointly among values and behavior exhibit a similar structure. The motivational conflicts and congruities postulated by the theory of values can account for this shared structure.