basic human values in a young group: advances in exploratory study

This work is part of a wide area of Study, developed since 1998 and focused on Childhood and Adolescence. At first, the aim was to research the psychopathological profile of adolescents, with sociodemographic variables. Further on Competence, Coping and Values were added for an approach from the Positive Psychology (Dahlsgaard, Peterson & Seligman, 2005). This article presents the preliminar results of a youth sample of secondary level students (n=152), aged 12 to 18, male and female, belonging to a medium socioeconomical status. The instrument used for the study is the Basic Values Questionnaire, developed by Valdiney V. Gouveia (1998), based on the studies of S. Schwartz and W. Bilsky (1987, 1990, 2004). Once the performance of this instrument was tested with our Spanish speaking population, some linguistic adaptations were implemented. To obtain the profile of the interviewed adolescents, descriptive statistic is used. The results show to statistically significant difference between girls and boys in Experimenting and Realization Values (Personnel Values Group); as well in Existence (Central Category Value) and in Normative (Social Value), with bigger M quantity in Suprapersonnel Value (Central Value) and Interaction (Social Category Value). In response to open questions about the most and the least important values, subjects have chosen Interaction (Social Value) and Existence Values (Central Value) as the most important ones, and Realization Values (Personal Value) and the Normative Values (Central Value Category), as the least important ones. The study shows the importance of some groups of Values, what would require an analysis in relation to the behaviours with those that are expressed and their cultural relevance. The conclusions open the debate, from the own expression of the value and their relationship with the psychopathology and on the other hand with the well-being.