Content and Structure of Values in Middle Adolescence: Evidence From Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia

Abstract

Schwartz’s theory of the content and structure of human values has been validated mostly with adult (teacher and university student) samples. The present study examines the content and structure of values of middle adolescents in Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia. The 40-item version of the Portrait Values Questionnaire was administered to 230 adolescents in each country (total N = 920; boys and girls were equal) and smallest space analysis was performed. Consistent with theory, the 10 first-order values and the four second-order values, organized in two bipolar dimensions, were identified in all samples. In support of the developmentally modified value model for young people, there was some evidence for the periphery of power to achievement. Interestingly, the location of benevolence and universalism were reversed across all cultural groups, and tradition values separated into self-restriction and faith. Overall, the findings support the claim that Schwartz’s theory of values is neither restricted to adults nor solely based on a particular instrument and is generalizable across diverse national contexts.