THE PROBLEM OF PERSONALITY’S RESPONSIBILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF

VALUES SYSTEM IN LATVIA

Marina MarchenokaRezekne Higher Education Institution (Latvia)

Anna LidumaRiga Teacher Training and Educational

Management Academy (Latvia)

The 10th International PERL Conference:Preparing, Engaging, Responding and Learning about Responsible Living

10-11 March 2015, UNESCO, Paris

The aim of the research paper are:

to consider the problem of responsibility as a value quality of teenager’s

personality;

to define the grade of ‘responsibility’ in the hierarchical system of value

orientations of teenagers in Latvia.

The theoretical base of the research includes: philosophical ideas about

the meaning of values, about the role of the person’s spiritual value potential in

his/her personal development (H. Jonas, Е. Fromm, V. Tugarinov), the conception

of the moral, spiritual value nature of the personality (К. Abulkhanova – Slavskaja,

A. Maslow, V. Frankl), the theory of values (M. Rokeach).

The empirical research includes: the complex of pshychodiagnostics

methods: diagnostics of attitude to life values “Value orientations” (RVS) (M.

Rokeach); “Value survey” (S. Schwartz); the method of social inquiry “Distribution

of significance of values in teenagers’ personal characteristics”

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

No Values Rating

1. active, energetic life (life completeness and emotional richness)

10.3 11

2. life wisdom (maturity of judgement and common sense, obtained with life experience)

12.4 16

3. health (physical and mental) 10.0 104. interesting work 9.5 85. nature and art beauty (feeling the beautiful in nature and

art)12.9 18

6. love (spiritual and physical intimacy with a beloved) 4.7 3

7. stable financial welfare (absence of financial difficulties) 3.1 1

8. good and trustful friends 8.0 69. public recognition (respect from the surrounding people,

colleagues)9.3 7

10. cognition (possibility to improve education level, to enlarge the mental outlook, general standards, intellectual development)

11.9 13

11. productive life (maximal usage of one’s possibilities, forces and skills)

11.2 12

12. development (self-cultivation, permanent physical and mental perfection)

12.0 14

13. entertainment (pleasant, easy time spending, absence of obligations)

4.5 2

14. freedom (independence, self-dependence in judgements and actions)

7.8 4

15. happy family life 8.0 516. others’ happiness (welfare, other people’s, the entire

nations’, the humanity’s development and perfection)12.7 17

17. creative work (possibility of creative work) 12.2 1518. self-confidence (internal harmony, freedom of internal

doubts, contradictions)9.9 9

1.The method “Value orientations” (SAV) by M. Rokeach (2002)Table 2: Teenagers’ instrumental values in Latvia

No Values Rating

1. neatness (cleanliness), ability to keep things in order, order in actions

8.2 7

2. good manners 9.1 8

3. high demands (high requirements to life and high pretensions)

9.3 9

4. cheerfulness (sense of humour) 6.1 3

5. diligence 9.6 11

6. independence (ability to act independently, resolutely) 5.7 2

7. implacability to one’s and other people’s weaknesses 6.7 4

8. education (breadth of mind, high general culture) 9.5 10

9. responsibility (feeling of duty, ability to keep one’s word)

12.9 16

10. rationalism (ability to think reasonably and logically, take well-considered and rational decisions)

7.1 5

11. self-control (reserve, self-discipline) 14.7 17

12. courage in defending one’s opinion, views 3.0 1

13. strong will (ability to have one’s way, not to recede when facing difficulties)

7.4 6

14. tolerance (to others’ opinions and views, ability to forgive others’ faults and mistakes)

15.9 18

15. breadth of opinions (ability to understand others’ opinion, to respect others’ tastes, customs and habits)

10.3 12

16. honesty (truth, sincerity) 12.8 15

17. efficiency in business (diligence, productivity in work) 10.4 13

18. sensitiveness (attention) 11.2 14

Table 1: Teenagers’ terminal values in Latvia

2.THE METHOD OF SOCIAL INQUIRY “DISTRIBUTION OF SIGNIFICANCE OF VALUES IN TEENAGERS’ PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS”

Table 3: Distribution of significance of values in teenagers’ personal characteristics

No. Value characteristics Average indicators

of significance

Rating 

1. Educated person 31.0 32. Person, which is capable of achieving everything in

his/her life63.2 1

3. Person, which is capable of ensuring welfare for himself/herself

38.6 2

4. Creative, qualified specialist 27.5 45. Conscientious, disciplined employee 19.0 56. Critically thinking person 4.2 107. Person, which is able to take responsibility 5.8 88. Reliable defender of the country 12.5 79. A man of principle, not making compromise 3.4 1110 Romantic and enthusiast 4.6 9

11 Person having a subtle perception of the beautiful 3.2 12

12 Person, which is capable of building a strong family 18.7 6

3. The method “Value survey” by S. Schwartz (1992)

Table 4: Average indicators of significance of value types on the level of standard ideals

Table 5: Average indicators of value types on the level of individual priorities

Values 8th

grade9th

grade10th

grade11th

gradeAverageindicator

Restrictive conformity

3.00 4.03 3.09 2.81 3.14

Tradition 1.84 2.99 3.07 3.35 2.81

Benevolence 4.03 4.49 3.83 3.98 4.00

Universalism 2.93 4.28 4.15 4.52 3.75

Self-Direction 3.95 4.27 3.87 4.03 3.93

Stimulation 3.60 4.36 4.08 4.38 4.09

Hedonism 4.72 4.79 4.29 4.51 4.54

Achievement 3.86 4.29 4.47 4.57 4.29

Social Power 4.38 4.77 4.50 4.75 4.52

Security 2.69 3.64 3.69 3.90 3.40

Values 8th

grade9th

grade10th

grade11th

gradeAverageindicator

Restrictive conformity

1.93 1.99 1.74 1.68 1.83

Tradition 1.61 1.56 1.14 1.05 1.29

Benevolence 2.23 2.35 2.50 2.52 2.35

Universalism 2.53 2.46 2.09 2.16 2.19

Self-Direction 2.34 2.47 2.29 2.59 2.36

Stimulation 2.13 2.36 2.49 2.91 2.39

Hedonism 2.33 2.68 2.47 2.17 2.37

Achievement 2.45 2.46 2.76 2.55 2.51

Social Power 2.59 2.44 2.60 2.30 2.40

Security 0.90 1.30 1.68 1.65 1.33

Table 6: Ranking of significance of values on the level of standard ideals

Values 8th

grade9th

grade10th

grade11th

gradeAverageindicator

Restrictive conformity

7 9 9 9 9

Tradition 10 9 10 10 10Benevolence 4 6 5 5 5Universalism 8 6 4 4 7Self-Direction 6 7 5 5 6

Stimulation 5 1 5 6 4Hedonism 2 2 1 1 1Achievement 5 5 2 2 3Social Power 1 5 2 5 2Security 8 8 9 8 8

Table 7: Ranking of significance of values on the level of individual priorities

Values 8th

grade9th

grade10th

grade11th

gradeAverageindicator

Restrictive conformity

10 8 8 8 8

Tradition 9 9 10 10 10

Benevolence 6 7 3 6 6

Universalism 8 6 7 5 7

Self-Direction 3 3 6 7 5

Stimulation 4 5 2 4 3

Hedonism 5 4 5 3 4

Achievement 2 1 1 1 1

Social Power 1 2 4 2 2

Security 7 10 9 9 9

CONCLUSION The theoretical analysis of the given issue allows establishing that responsibility is a multisided concept,

which is expressed in interrelation of all spheres of activity of the society supposing such individual’s decisions, actions, results and sequences, which correspond to the interests and values of the society development;

As a personal feature, responsibility is one of the parts of the life position, uncovering the individual’s attitude, first, to his/her role and place in the society, and directs his/her actions in accordance with regulations of the society and his/her responsibilities, which are incumbent on him/her. Thus responsibility depends on values and is a value feature of an individual, integrating spiritual, moral and socially psychological functions;

The results of evaluation of the terminal values are rather interesting. Such values as ‘stable financial life’, ‘entertainment’, ‘love’, ‘freedom’ and ‘happy family life’ take the leading positions in the rating top five places. It appears that these categories of values are the society’s social priorities reflection by teenagers. It is worth paying attention to the value category, which is in the last five categories: ‘development’, ‘creative work’, ‘life wisdom’, ‘other people’s welfare’, ‘beauty of nature and art’. The given category is very significant at the moment of choice of the personal life trajectory;

Analysing the results of the instrumental values list, it is possible to conclude that such values as ‘courage in defending one’s opinion’, ‘independence’, ‘cheerfulness’, ‘implacability to one’s and other people’s weaknesses’ and ‘rationalism’ take the first five places in the list. Relevant and important value at the given period time is education, but it ranks 10. It appears that honesty and efficiency in business (diligence) are the result of influence of common human values. Special attention should be drawn to the fact that ‘tolerance’, ‘self-control’, ‘responsibility’, ‘honesty’ and ‘sensitiveness’ take one of the last positions in rating;

Analysing the results of the social inquiry “Distribution of significance of values in teenagers’ personal characteristics”, it is possible to conclude that teenagers are oriented to personal achievements, strive for social and material welfare, we can observe the pragmatic orientation in parallel with the decrease of significance of civil, professional and family positions, which are not priorities in teenagers’ opinion. Such a feature as ‘Person, which is able to take responsibility’ ranks only 8;

Analysing the results of the method “Value survey” we can conclude that both on the level of beliefs and on the level of individual priorities almost the same values remain the most significant (Achievement, Social Power, Stimulation and Hedonism). The least important are such values as Tradition, Restrictive conformity, Security and Universalism;

In general, the results of the correlation analysis certify that results of the research are almost identical despite the difference in methods of value measurement;

Nowadays teenagers’ value orientations represent a complicated and contradictory system, where “Person, which is able to take responsibility” is ranked very low in the hierarchy of values with prevailing tendency towards value of material welfare transforming from values-means into values-goals.

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