Gordon Allport’s Values Test (or Study)

Is it possible to measure the values, religious or not, that move one? This test sets out on that mission.

The Values Study, a personality test developed by Gordon Allport, Philip Vernon and Gardner Lindzey, was first developed by Gordon Allport, Philip Vernon and Gardner Lindzey.Philip Vernon and Gardner Lindzey, was one of the first psychological instruments to be developed for the purpose of assessing personal values or basic motivations. In this article we will analyze the content, the mode of application and the variables that this test measures.

The Allport Values Study

The American psychologist Gordon William Allport (1897-1967) is mainly known for his personalistic theory, which is known mainly for his personalistic theory, one of the first attempts to explain personality. The main focus of Allport's work is on the individuality of each human being and on the active aspect of our nature, which drives us to achieve goals.

In 1931 Allport, together with Philip E. Vernon and Gardner Lindzey, published a scale for evaluating personal values, which can also be understood as basic motivations. This test was based directly on the book "Types of Men" by the philosopher Eduard Spranger and its creators called it the "Values Study".

Allport thought that a good way to analyze the personality of a specific individual is to evaluate what his moral values are. In this sense, he gave much more importance to the present moment than to personal history, which was the focus of the psychoanalytic orientation that dominated the psychology of the time.

The purpose of Allport and his collaborators' test is to determine the relative weight of six types of values for a given individual: theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political and religious. six types of values: theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political and religious, which Spranger considered fundamental.which Spranger considered fundamental. The definition of each of these basic motivations will be described in detail below.

Content and mode of application of the test

The Allport test consists of two parts. The first of these is composed of dichotomous questions; for example, item 24 ("Which of these books would you choose?") includes the answer options "A) History of religion" and "B) History of industrial development". Each item now includes four response options depending on the intensity of preference.

The second part contains statements with four response options that should be ordered according to the relative degree of preference. Thus, in item number 9. ("What topic would you prefer to discuss in a meeting with close friends?") the options "A) The meaning of life", "B) The latest scientific news", "C) Literature" and "D) Socialism" should be ordered.

The total number of items in the test amounts to 240: in the first part 90 points are awarded to one or other of the values being evaluated, while in the second part 150 points are distributed according to how the answer options for each of the items have been ordered.

The Values Survey can be applied both individually and collectively (i.e., to several people at the same time). Although there is no set time limit for completing the test, examinees should try to answer the questions more or less quickly. It is important to mention that the test was designed for people with a higher education..

The 6 values reflected in the test

The results of the Values Study consist of obtaining six scores, one for each of the basic motivations handled by Spranger, as well as by Allport and his collaborators. The comparison between the scores on each variable indicates how important each of these values (or behavioral tendencies) is to the person.

Theoretical

People with a high score on the theoretical value want to discover the truth about thingsthat is, to obtain ordered and systematized knowledge through logical and empirical criteria.

2. Economic

Economic value is associated with a focus on the material and practical. This includes the accumulation of goods, energy saving and the utilitarian conception of the the utilitarian conception of relationships with other people..

3. Aesthetic

Those who score high in this motivation value beauty, harmony and the formal aspects of reality, which to some extent opposes the theoretical value.which is somewhat opposed to the theoretical value. Their personal satisfaction derives from the creation and/or contemplation of aesthetic experiences.

4. Social

The main motivation of these people is to have the company of others, and helping others constitutes their core value. High scores on this variable indicate altruism, kindness, compassion and generosity..

5. Political

In this case, the main motivation is to obtain power and control over the behavior of others. power and control over the behavior of other individualsThis is associated with leadership. Knowledge is seen as a means to achieve this goal.

6. Religious

According to Allport, people governed by religious motives their behavior according to their spiritual and ethical beliefs. and ethical beliefs. Both the definition of this value and the items that compose it are ambiguous and are probably the best example of the negative impact that the passage of time has had on the Values Study.