Importance and Sources of Values
Value is the acceptable way of living considered as normal by a particular group of people. Values are also defined as the degree of importance an individual attaches to a particular thing. For example, of when someone says " I value my life or I value dairy", it means that such a person cherishes or loves his life or dairy. Value refers to what society regards as very important and is held in high esteem, value can mean several things to several people depending on its usage, so what is considered as something valuable in a particular society might not be valuable in other societies. Value has been taken to mean moral ideas, general conceptions or orientation towards the world or sometimes simply interests, attitudes, preferences, needs, sentiments and dispositions.
Values are generally received through cultural means especially transmission from parents to children, society at large to the upcoming generation. Value is a virtue which every individual in a society strives to possess because of its importance to individual and society at large. Equality, Honesty, Respect, Self-control, Responsibility, and Social Justice are factors that influence our values. The importance of values to human and society include:
1) Values enables us to choose friends that share the same values: As human being we cannot relate with everybody we meet, but we rather choose those we are going to relate with or associate with. One of the things that helps us to regulate those we are going associate or relate with is value.
Relating with someone who shares the same value helps to promote a peaceful and healthy relationship, because both parties are almost going to share the same beliefs, principles, standards, ideas and so on. This is very common in the society, the reason some people choose who they are going to be friends with is because they share the same value. John Ratzenberger said in his word " Find people who share your values, and you will conquer the world together".
2) Values prevent people from making mistakes: Values help to regulate people's behaviour, if behaviours aren't regulated, we might react to situations out of hand or in a way that we will blame ourselves later. If we live In a society where there is no values, there will be a lot of mistakes and errors. Value guides and prevent from making mistakes because it states what is good and desirable. Value help individual to make decisions, they help to shape our behaviour and deeds.
" It's not hard to make decisions when you know what values are.".
--- Roy Disney
3) Values promote peace and progress of society: Each society with its values, value of one society differs from other societies, but our values can promote peace and progress if they are respected. Value of a particular society guides and regulates it's citizens in how to behave and relate with one another which in turn promote peace and progress of society.Values enable people to obey the rules and regulations of each society, an individual who finds himself or herself in a particular society will behave in accordance with its value in order to behave in a peaceful and acceptable manner. Value promotes positive relationships among different people. A wise man (Brian Tracey) once said "Your attitude is an expression of your values, beliefs and expectations".
Sources of Values
Individual acquire values through the agents of socialization ( They are specific groups that carry out socialization on behalf of the larger society). Socialization is the process by which individual learn the values and cultures of the society. These agents of socialization are also the sources of values, they are responsible for promoting and teaching values to younger and upcoming generations. They are;
1. Family: Family is the basic group and the natural matrix of personality. Family is the oldest and is a universal institution; found in every society. Socialization begins from a family. Family is the first primary group of a child, it is where socialization begins and where a child learn about values.
The family is the primary source of value. Children receive values from their parents, because the parents serves as a teacher of values to their children and also as a role model who the children look up to in order to learn from or imitate which includes values
2) Peers: Peers are equal individuals who are usually of the same gender, age, and social status and who share interests. Peers are important and often preferred to other socializing agents, because they influence the social, cognitive and psychological development. Peers are one of the sources of values because they teach gender role, unity and collective behaviour and also serve as a source for information. People learn from peers, because they offers a lot and serve as a practicing venue to adulthood.
3) School: The school setting serves as another active medium through which the child receives societal values and attitudes. To this end, subjects or courses like Civics, Social Studies, Government and History are taught to educate and sensitize the learners through formal teaching and learning process. Asides from the official purpose of school which is to transfer knowledge and teach life skills, students also learn social skills through with teachers, staff, and other students.
4. Religion: Basically, religious institutions lay emphasis on the spiritual and moral development of the child. It is expected that the role of those religious bodies will further complement the academic works taught in schools and home, and this would make complete man of the learners. The religion institutions teach values.
