3-136 - A Multicultural Perspective on Values and Positive Developmental Outcomes

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Values are broad motivational goals that reflect what is important to people in their lives (Schwartz, 1992). They direct people’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviors (Bardi & Schwartz, 2003). Values are socialized within the context of the family and culture (Roccas & Sagiv, 2010). Yet little is known about the development of values within a social context, and the contribution of values to positive development. The papers in the current symposium discuss these issues in diverse cultural contexts, among majority and minority youth (US Latino/a, Australians, Israeli Jewish and Arab youth).
The first study followed the development of value profiles during middle childhood, in a cross-sequential design. Transition between profiles over time was associated with more prosocial and less aggressive behavior. The second study compared the values of adolescents with the values of their classmate peers. Value congruence with classmate peers was associated with a higher self-esteem. In the third study, discrimination of young adults was associated with less prosociality, an association mediated by cultural values of familism, and moderated by ethnic socialization. In the fourth study, early adolescents differed in the importance they attribute to their cultural values. Their cultural value profiles were predictive of varied types of prosocial behavior.
The presentations feature a variety of designs and sophisticated analysis techniques (Latent Transition and Latent Class Analysis, Multinomial Regression and Response Surface Analysis, Path Analysis) in diverse cultural settings. They shed light on the important role of personal and cultural values for positive development.

Sub Unit

• Moral Development

Chairs

• Ella Daniel, Tel-Aviv University

• Maya Benish-Weisman, University of Haifa

Individual Presentations

• Value Profiles during Middle childhood: Developmental Processes - Presenting Author: Ella Daniel, Tel-Aviv University; Non-Presenting Author: Maya Benish-Weisman, University of Haifa; Non-Presenting Author: Joanne Sneddon, University of Western Australia; Non-Presenting Author: Julie Lee, University of Western Australia

• The Relations between Value Congruence and Self-Esteem among Adolescents - Presenting Author: Maya Benish-Weisman, University of Haifa; Non-Presenting Author: Ella Daniel, Tel-Aviv University; Non-Presenting Author: Kristina McDonald, University of Alabama

• Discrimination and Ethnic Socialization Predicting Familism Values and Prosocial Behaviors among U.S. Latino/a Young Adults - Presenting Author: Alexandra N Davis, University of New Mexico; Non-Presenting Author: Gustavo Carlo, University of Missouri

• Profiles of U.S. Mexican Early Adolescents’ Prosocial Values and their Relations to Prosocial Behaviors - Presenting Author: Sarah L. Pierotti, University of Missouri; Non-Presenting Author: Gustavo Carlo, University of Missouri; Non-Presenting Author: George Knight, Arizona State University