Valdiney V. Gouveia

Values and their Relationship to Environmental Concern and Conservation Behavior

Recent research has examined the relationship between values and attitudes about environmental issues. Findings from these studies have found values of self-transcendence (positively) and self-enhancement (negatively) to predict general concern for environmental problems. Other recent findings have differentiated between environmental attitudes based on concern for self (egoistic), concern for other people (social-altruistic), and concern for plants and animals (biospheric).This article reports the results from a study of the relationship between values and environmental attitudes in six countries: Brazil, Czech Republic, Germany, India, New Zealand, and Russia. Results show strong support for the cross-cultural generalizability of the relationship between values and attitudes and on the structure of environmental concern. In addition, analyses of the relationship between values and environmental behavior show evidence for norm activation only for self-transcendence; results for self-enhancement show a consistently negative relationship.

A natureza motivacional dos valores humanos: evidências acerca de uma nova tipologia

The motivational nature of human values: evidence of a new typology. This article presents a new typology of basic values, based on human needs. Such values were theorized to represent three criteria of orientation, each one divided in two psychosocial functions: personal (experiential and promotion), central (preservation and supra-personal), and social (interactional and normative). Data were obtained from two diverse samples (N = 606). This typology was tested regarding to: (1) internal structure – a multidimensional scaling (MDS) permitted viewing these three criteria of orientation, and a confirmatory factor analysis proved their corresponding psychosocial functions; (2) convergence to Schwartz’ theory – a MDS showed that the six psychosocial functions and the ten motivational types of values appeared in different spatial regions, but they were interpreted in the same terms; and (3) prediction of religiosity degree – consistently, this variable was positively and negatively correlated with normative and experiential values, respectively. In brief, this typology was not incompatible with Schwartz’ theory, and supports the motivational nature of human values. However, it is more parsimonious, assuming a reduced set of basic values.

Human values and social identities: A study in two collectivist cultures

The current study examines the value correlates of social identities (identification with in-groups and geospatial units) in two collectivist cultures (Brazil, n = 471; Spain, n = 476). According to previous research, it was expected that subjects who score higher on social values would be more identified with the various traditional in-groups and with the local geospatial units and that social identities would be predicted by different values among Brazilians and Spaniards. Subjects were undergraduate students (228 males; 719 females), with age ranging from 16 to 55 years (M = 21.9; SD = 4.57), from three states in Brazil (Paraiba, Distrito Federal, and Sao Paulo) and Spain (Pontevedra, Madrid, and Barcelona). They were administered the Individualism-Collectivism Questionnaire, the Basic Value Survey,the In-group Identification Scale, the Geospatial Identification Scale, and a questionnaire with demographic questions (e.g., gender, age, religious affiliation). Results confirm that importance attributed t...

Valores humanos como explicadores de atitudes ambientais e intenção de comportamento pró-ambiental

Human values have been pointed out as important predictors of environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behaviors. Although the literature supports the relationship between these three constructs, no information was found considering Brazilian samples. This study aimed to contribute to this gap. Participated in this study a number of 208 undergraduate students; most of them were from a private university (63.8%), female (73.4%) and with mean age of 28 years (SD = 7.0). They answered the Schwartz Values Survey and the Echocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes Scale, an item to measure intention of pro-environment behaviors, and demographic questions. Results support previous studies. Specifically, self-transcendence values were the most important to explain pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. These findings are discussed regarding the possibility of using human values in interventions to promote behaviors on behalf of the environment.

A estrutura e o conteúdo universais dos valores humanos:análise fatorial confirmatória da tipologia de Schwartz

O presente estudo teve como objetivos (1) comprovar a existencia dos dez tipos motivacionais de valores e (2) avaliar em que medida estes mantem relacoes de compatibilidades e conflitos entre si, segundo a teoria de Schwartz (1992). Participaram 477 estudantes universitarios, a maioria mulher (77%) e nao-religiosa (78%), com uma media de idade de 21 anos (amplitude de 18 a 49 anos). Estes responderam ao Questionario de Valores de Schwartz e a um conjunto de perguntas demograficas. Uma analise fatorial confirmatoria (LISREL) indicou a adequacao da tipologia dos dez tipos de valores (GFI = 0,87, razao c²/gl = 3,81). Em relacao a estrutura de compatibilidades e conflitos entre os valores, esta foi plenamente confirmada no primeiro caso e parcialmente no segundo. Concluiu-se que a teoria em questao e adequada; a nao comprovacao de alguns conflitos entre os tipos motivacionais pode se dever a complexidade da dinâmica dos valores, nao apreendida atraves dos modelos de equacoes estruturais.

Does Social Context Affect Value Structures? Testing the Within-Country Stability of Value Structures With a Functional Theory of Values

Previous research showed that the stability of value structures across cultures is influenced by both sample fluctuations and social context. This study tests the within-country stability of value structures in a large sample of physicians (N = 13,414) across all states in Brazil. The authors use a new value instrument that differentiates values according to their theoretical functions (type of orientation: personal versus social; type of motivation: materialistic versus humanitarian). Although the proposed structure of the value functions was relatively robust, systematic fluctuations in structure emerged. In line with previous research, the authors found strong effects of sampling fluctuations as well as socioeconomic development indices on the stability overall. Examining the differential effect of various social indicators, social living conditions were found to mediate the effect of socioeconomic indicators on value stability along the first dimension contrasting personal versus social value orientations. The second dimension differentiating materialistic versus humanitarian values is less stable. Implications for value theory and research, in particular for cross- and intra-cultural research, are discussed.

Cross-Cultural Evidence for Spatial Bias in Beliefs About the Severity of Environmental Problems

Prior research has shown a tendency for environmental problems to be rated as more severe at the global level than at the local level. The present article reports reanalyses of a large cross-cultural data set (Study 1: k = 22, N = 3,277) and new cross-cultural data (Study 2: k = 8, N = 1,131) examining the prevalence of this spatial bias in the rated severity of environmental problems along with analyses of individual and country-level predictors of this bias. Results from multilevel modeling analyses showed that spatial bias was greater for happier and younger individuals and for those from smaller communities. We interpret these results as evidence for self-serving and “place-serving” biases in which the bias tempers the severity of environmental problems in one’s local area. Considering the large cross-cultural evidence, we argue that spatial bias is a plausible candidate of a psychological universal identified by research in environmental psychology.

Teoria funcionalista dos valores humanos: aplicações para organizações

This paper describes a functional theory of human values and links the theory to important organizational variables. The theory identifies two consensual value functions: values as guides of human actions, and values as expressions of human needs. The first function differentiates three types of value orientations (social, central, and personal), while the second function classifies values as either humanitarian or materialistic. A combination of these two functions yields six sub-functions of values (excitement, promotion, existence, suprapersonal, interactive, and normative). Three empirical studies are described that examines the influence of these sub-functions of values on the organizational commitment of employees in a private organization (Study 1), job-related affective well-being of public servants (Study 2), and fatigue and burnout of nurses, psychologists and physicians (Study 3). Results support the influence of values on these variables, and are discussed in light of the functional theory of values.

Versão abreviada da Escala Triangular do Amor: evidências de validade fatorial e consistência interna

Brief version of the Triangular Love Scale: evidences of factor validity and reliability. This study aimed at knowing the psychometric parameters of a shorted version of the Triangular Love Scale. Specifically, it tried to joint evidences of its factor validity and reliability in the Paraibano milieu. Participants were 307 undergraduate students from Joao Pessoa (PB), which have a stable heterosexual relationship. Their mean age was 23.4 years old (sd = 6.22; ranging from 17 to 56), most of them female (69.4%) and single (73%). They answered the Triangular Love Scale and demographic asks. Results support the psychometric adequacy of this measure, which showed three components (varimax rotation; accounting for 67.7% of the total variance), with satisfactory Cronbach’s Alpha: commitment (α = 0.88), passion (α = 0.87), and intimacy (α = 0.86). Women scored higher than men in commitment. These findings were discussed based on literature, confirming the adequacy of the scale. Future studies were suggested too.

Patterns of Value Change During the Life Span Some Evidence From a Functional Approach to Values

Little research has examined mean-level change in values across the life span. Using large cross-sectional data (N = 36,845) from the five geo-social regions in Brazil, this study examines how mean levels of basic values differ as a function of age (from age 12 to 65; M = 28) and whether age effects are moderated by gender. Results show that mean-level value change is substantial throughout the life course. We observed both linear and curvilinear patterns of change as well as differential patterns by gender. The observed value change is consistent with age-related life circumstances and psychosocial development. Age effects are also value dependent, supporting the notion that values have different functions for different developmental stages.