Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values

For decades after its initial development in 1931, the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values (SOV) had a substantial impact on psychological practice and research. In terms of the metric of citation count, by 1970, the SOV was the third most popular nonprojective personality measure, after the Minnesota Mulitphasic Personality Instrument (MMPI) and the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS). Designed primarily for use with upper-level high school students, college students, and adults, it become [Page 16]popular because it reflected a number of positive features, the most important being its multiplicity of applications. First, the SOV provided a vivid classroom demonstration pertinent to courses in psychology, social psychology, personality, organizational behavior, and education. In this regard, the 1970 test manual noted that students are always interested in their own scores and enjoy a discussion of the results. Second, the SOV was widely used in vocational and educational guidance (and even in marriage counseling). Third, it was integral to hundreds of research projects, such as those concerning group differences, changes in individual values over time (e.g., before and after divinity school training), and ascertaining patterns of value agreement among friends and family members.

By the late 1980s, though, the SOV was no longer in print. The reasons for the extraordinary 50-year popularity of the SOV and its subsequent fall into psychological oblivion are discussed below, after a brief description of the instrument itself, two illustrations of its practical utility, and past reviewers' evaluations.

Based on the seminal work of Eduard Spranger, the SOV identifies six value orientations, which, briefly, are as follows:

• Theoretical (the discovery of truth: empiricism, intellectualism)
• Economic (that which is useful: resourceful, practical affairs)
• Aesthetic (form and harmony: grace, artistry in life)
• Social (love of people: altruism, sympathy, caring)
• Political (power in all realms: influence, leadership)
• Religious (unity of life: comprehension of life's meaning, holiness)

Each individual receives a total score of 240 points, based on answers to questions describing a number of familiar situations, for instance, “If you had some time to spend in a waiting room and there were only two magazines to choose from, would you prefer (a) Scientific Age or (b) Arts and Decorations?” Consequently, the SOV measures the relative strength of each value orientation. The theoretical average for each value is 40 (240 points apportioned among six values), but individual profiles often demonstrate unique value patterns. Note that the SOV ascertains values indirectly through realistic behavioral scenarios; in contrast, two currently used values measures (Milton Rokeach's Value Survey and Shalom Schwartz's Value Scale) require respondents to directly rank and rate values, respectively—assuming that individuals can access and consciously process this information and report it accurately. More specifically, the Rokeach scale requires respondents to rank order two sets of 18 relatively abstract values (e.g., freedom, loyalty, courage), and the Schwartz instrument requires the rating of 52 broad values (e.g., wisdom, inner harmony, unity with nature).

Pertinent to the psychometric adequacy of the SOV, internal consistency estimates for each value have ranged from .84 to .95, and averaged .90 (after Spearman-Brown prophecy adjustment). Indicative of the SOV's substantive validity, early normative data collected from more than 8,000 students were very consistent with a priori expectations. For 500 engineering students, the mean Theoretical value was 48; for 7,100 medical students, the mean Theoretical value was 50; among 800 business students, the mean Economic value was 46; among 400 art and design students, the mean Aesthetic value was 57; and among 100 divinity students, the mean Religious value was 55. The popularity of the SOV can be attributed in part to its solid psychometric properties. Further reflecting its demonstrated construct validity, scores on the SOV have been reliably related to types of professional education, occupational choice, and such vocationally relevant outcomes as job satisfaction and, to a lesser extent, job performance.

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