David Schiefer

Value Differentiation in Adolescence: The Role of Age and Cultural Complexity.

Living in complex social worlds, individuals encounter discordant values across life contexts, potentially resulting in different importance of values across contexts. Value differentiation is defined here as the degree to which values receive different importance depending on the context in which they are considered. Early and mid-adolescents (N = 3,497; M = 11.45 years, SD = 0.87 and M = 16.10 years, SD = 0.84, respectively) from 4 cultural groups (majority and former Soviet Union immigrants in Israel and Germany) rated their values in 3 contexts (family, school, and country). Value differentiation varied across individuals. Early adolescents showed lower value differentiation than mid-adolescents. Immigrant (especially first generation) adolescents, showed higher value differentiation than majority adolescents, reflecting the complex social reality they face while negotiating cultures.

Cultural Values and Group-Related Attitudes A Comparison of Individuals With and Without Migration Background Across 24 Countries

This article argues that individuals’ attitudes toward members of other groups are at least partly shaped by the cultural environment in which the individuals live. Based on the theory of cultural values by Schwartz, it was tested whether cross-country differences in cultural value preferences can explain individual differences in negative group-related attitudes. Furthermore, the present article postulates that individuals with a migration background are less strongly guided by the cultural values of the society in which they live, because they are additionally exposed to cultural values originating from their heritage culture. Samples from 24 countries that were part of the fourth wave of the European Social Survey were examined. Cultural values were assessed using the Portrait Value Questionnaire. Group-related attitudes were operationalized through an index of attitudes toward four different groups. Analyses of hierarchical linear models supported the hypotheses: Participants’ degree of negative group-related attitudes varied as a function of the cultural values inherent in the individuals’ countries. Moreover, weaker effects were found for individuals with migration background compared to individuals without migration background, especially for first-generation immigrants and immigrants from culturally more distant countries. Moreover, country-level cultural values were found to moderate the relationship of individual education and income level with group-related attitudes. Results are discussed with regard to their contribution to the literature on acculturation and with regard to the validity of Schwartz’s cultural value theory.

Parent-child value similarity and subjective well-being in the context of migration: An exploration

Intergenerational value similarity has a different meaning for migrants and minorities compared to the majority society. Whereas high parent-child value similarity among majority families more likely indicates successful internalization of societal values, high intergenerational similarity among migrants may indicate a lack of social integration into the host society. The present paper links parent-adolescent value similarity among migrant/minority and majority families to subjective well-being in two societies, Germany and Israel (Total N = 977 families). Analyses assess intergenerational similarity on all values from the Schwartz value circumplex. Among majority groups intergenerational value similarity is a predictor of life satisfaction. In minority groups it is more so a low distance of a familys value preferences to the modal values of the majority group that predicts life satisfaction – but only in Israel.

One and Not the Same The Consistency of Values Across Contexts Among Majority and Minority Members in Israel and Germany

Values are trans-situational, but little is known about their differential consistency across situations. We studied the cross-context correlations of value importance in six adolescent groups across Israel (Jewish majority, former Soviet-Union [FSU] immigrants, and Arab minority) and Germany (majority, FSU, and Turkish immigrants).Values were elicited for several contexts: family, school, and country of residence. Self-direction, achievement, conformity, and benevolence values in the family, the school, and the country of residence contexts revealed a moderately positive correlation among majority members (Study 1). A similar pattern was found for minority members (Study 2), suggesting that values are consistent in their rank order, but vary in importance based on circumstances. Study 2 also investigated minority members’ values in the ethnic context. In Israel, these values correlated positively with values in other contexts. In Germany, self-direction and conformity values in the ethnic context correlated negatively with the same values in other contexts (e.g., self-direction values in the student context and the ethnic context correlated negatively). The cultural environment is therefore relevant to value-system coherence.

Intergenerationale Werteähnlichkeit, Distanz zu gesellschaftlichen Mainstream-Werten und subjektives Wohlbefinden von MigrantInnen

Intergenerationale Wertetransmissionsprozesse – und damit auch die Ahnlichkeit zwischen den Werteprioritaten der Eltern und denen der Kinder als Produkt dieser Prozesse – sind essentiell fur die Reproduktion der Kultur einer Gesellschaft. Ein wesentliches Motiv, die Werthaltungen der Eltern bzw. der Gesellschaft zu ubernehmen, kann aus der rationalen Perspektive der Theorie der sozialen Produktionsfunktionen (Ormel et al. 1999) darin gesehen werden, dass uber Verhaltensbestatigung subjektives Wohlbefinden produziert werden kann. Die Dimension der Verhaltensbestatigung wird als „the feeling of doing ‚the right thing‘ in the eyes of relevant others (including yourself)“ (Lindenberg 2002, S. 649) beschrieben, wobei dies auch die Ubereinstimmung hinsichtlich verhaltensrelevanter Normen und Werten von Bezugspersonen und –gruppen beinhaltet.