Rzhanova I.E. Values of conservation and openness to change: features of intergenerational transmission

One of the main mechanisms that determine the formation of an individual’s value structure is intergenerational transmission, that is, the process of transferring values from one generation to another during the socialization of the individual. Among the factors influencing the acceptance of parental values by adolescents are the degree of closeness and level of responsibility that parents demonstrate. The study is devoted to studying the transmission of values of conservation and openness change in families in which parents belong to different generations – the generation of stagnation and the reform generation. The values of change are based on the desire for personal autonomy in beliefs and actions, the desire for novelty and risk. Conservation values are associated with the desire to follow traditions and generally accepted rules, and to seek security and stability. To assess the value-motivation sphere, the Russian version of the Schwartz portrait questionnaire was used. 227 families took part in the study. The questionnaires were completed by parents and their adult children. Analysis of differences in value preferences showed that, in general, parents in both groups of families significantly more often choose the values of conservation, and their children choose the values of openness to change. The transmission of values in families was analyzed in dyads, divided not only by age, but also by gender, of both parents and children. The intergenerational transmission of values of conservation and change in the analyzed families is not expressed and is unstable. In general, the values of maintaining and changing parents are positively related to similar values in children, however, there are not many significant correlations and they are quite weak. Father's value preferences have a more pronounced influence on children's values compared to mother's value preferences.

Key words: values, intergenerational transmission, generation of stagnation, reform generation

For citation: Rzhanova, I.E. (2023). Values of conservation and openness to change: features of intergenerational transmission. New Psychological Research, No. 4, 95–114. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2023_03_04_06

Acknowledgment

The article was prepared within a state task, project FNRE-2021-0001.