What are the various values put forward by Allport?
Allport believed that an individual’s philosophy is founded upon their values, or basic convictions that he holds about what is and is not of real importance in life (Hjelle and Ziegler p.202-206). From this assumption, he began to work off of the findings of Eduard Spranger who was a European psychologist. Allport studied his book “Types of Men” in which he outlined six major value-types (Hjelle and Ziegler p. 202-206). They are as follows:
1. The Theoretical person is primarily concerned with the discovery of truth, to which they seek in a cognitive way.
2. The Economic individual places highest value on what is the most useful. They are often times practical and is often times stereotypically the successful American business man.
3. The Aesthetic person places high value of form and harmony. They believe life to be a series of events that are to be enjoyed for its own sake.
4. The Social type seeks out the love of people.
5. The Political person’s dominant drive is power.
6. The Religious individual places highest value on unity. They seek to understand and experience the world as a unified whole.
In closing his theories are still applicable today, and they are often times studied and revised by other theorists and psychologists. Such theories are described in the book Individual Differences and Personality by Sarah E. Hampson and Andrew M. Colman. They outline such values that a person has in their book, as well as the struggle theory that Erickson and Allport support.
