Social Value: RAS/RTS Mains exam ,RPSC, Unit 3 Sociology GS Paper -1

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Last Year Question
Question : Identify four social values which are enumerated in 

preamble of Indian Constitution.

Answer : 1. Democracy  2. Justice  3. Fraternity 4. Secularism 5.Equality

Questions that can be asked :

1.Define Social Value
2.Relationship between Social value and Social Norms
3.Difference between Social Value and Social Norms
4.Social Value and Personal Value
5. How is a social value important for social order ?Explain with example.
6.Social Value and Tradition


What is social value ?

1.Social values are a set of moral principles defined by 

society dynamics, institutions, traditions and cultural beliefs. 

These values are implicit guidelines that

 provide orientation to individuals to conduct themselves

 properly within a social system.

 eg : Respect elder persons , Compassion towards weaker 

2. Social value is preference of society that means what will be preferred by society .
eg : Obey to elders of family 

3.Social values form an important part of the culture of the society. 
Eg : Non violence so vegetarian food is culture in various part of India 

4.Values account for the stability of social order. They provide the 
general guidelines for social conduct. Values such as fundamental
 rights, patriotism, respect for human dignity, rationality, sacrifice, 
individuality, equality, democracy etc. guide our behaviour in many ways. 

5. Conduct of every person is evaluated on basis of social values.
His/her conduct will be rewarded and appreciated if it is according 
to social values . Eg :Separation and divorce is still not acceptable
 by society whether state have all laws foe separation. After strict rules 
and regulation ,dowry system exist because it is accepted by society. Kanyadaan Mahadaan type concept is accepted by society.

6.G.R. Leslie, R.F. Larson, H.L. Gorman say, “Values are group 
conceptions of the relative desirability of things”.

According to H.M. Johnson, “Values are general standards and 

may be regarded as higher order norms”.

Young and Mack write, “Values are assumption, largely unconscious, 
of what is right and important”.

Michael Haralambos says “A value is a belief that something is 

good and worthwhile. It defines what is worth having and worth striving”.

According to Peter Worsley, “Values are general conceptions of 

“the good”, ideas about the kind of ends that people should pursue 

throughout their lives and throughout the many different activities 

in which they engage”.

In simple words, values may be defined as measure of

 goodness or desirability.

7.Values are standards of social behaviour derived from 

social interaction and accepted as constituent facts of 

social structure. They are objects that social conditions desire. 

These are culturally defined goals and involve 

“sentiments and significance.”  

8.They shape society’s behavior to guarantee adequate

 coexistence between participants. These values provide the

 boundaries between what is right and what is wrong, what is 

permissible, prohibited, illegal, desirable, legitimate or punishable 

and, the only way they can positively function is by a collective 

agreement, either explicit or implicit, that clarifies rules in a way 

that everybody knows and understands the boundaries.

9.Values are generally expressed in terms of ‘should’. Values are 

implanted early in a person’s life and once they are fixed, serve as

 a guide in choosing behaviour and in forming attitudes.

10.Values are expected to be followed for judging and evaluating 

social interaction, goals, means, ideas, feelings and the expected 

conduct. Without such evaluating standard, it would be difficult to 

judge individual behaviour or social action. Values aim to integrate 

expected individual behaviour and social action .

Difference between Social Value and Social Norm

1.Norms are specific, values are not.

2.There may be, in a particular situation, delusion of norms,

 but values are commanding.

3.Norms are rules for behaving: they say more or less 

specifically what should or should not be done by

 particular types of actors in given circumstances. 

Values are standard of desirability that are more 

nearly independent of specific situations.

4.Social norms are standards, rules, guides and expectations 

for actual behaviour, whereas values are abstract conceptions 

of what is important and worthwhile. Honesty is a general 

value; the expectation that students will not cheat or use 

such material forbidden by the codes in the examinations is a norm.

5. Values, as standards (criteria) for establishing what should be 

regarded as desirable, provide the grounds for accepting or rejecting

 particular norm.

Relationship Between Social Norm and Social Value

1.Values are general guidelines, while norms are specific guidelines.

 Values are general standards, which decide what is good and what is bad. 

Norms are rules and expectations that specify how people should and 

should not behave in various social situations.

Eg Equality is social value.

Right to equality is a specific right to achieve equality. 

Abolishing untouchability  through laws and rules are

 specific way to achieve equality.

2.Values are ends while norms are means to achieve these ends.

 Sometimes, the values and norms of a society conflict with each other. 

For example, if a society highly values the insti­tution of marriage, 

it may have norms and strict sanctions which prohibit the act of 

adultery and allow divorce only in hard cases.

If a society views private property as a basic value, it will probably

 have stern laws against theft and vandalism. The most cherished

 values (right of life) of a society will receive the heaviest sanctions 

(capital punishment), whereas matters regarded as less critical will 

carry light and informal sanctions.

 The norm “a teacher must not show favouritism in grading” may 

in particular instance involve the value of equality, honesty, 

humanitarianism and several others.

Functions of Values:

1. Values provide goals or ends for the members to aim for.

2. Values provide for stabilities and uniformities in group 

interaction. They hold the society together because they 

are shared in common. Shared values form the basis for 

social unity. Since they share the same values with others, 

the members of society are likely to see others as 

“people like themselves”. They will therefore, have a sense

 of belonging to a social group. They will feel a part of the wider society.

3. Values bring legitimacy to the rules that govern specific activities. 

The rule are accepted as rules and followed mainly because they 

embody the values that most people accept. The Americans for 

example, believe that the capitalist organization is the best one 

because it allows people to seek success in life.

4.Values help to bring about some kind of adjustment between 

different sets of rules. The people seek the same kinds of ends

 or goals in different field of their life. Hence, it is possible for 

them to modify the rules to help the pursuit of this end.

5.According to Young and Mack, ‘norms’ refer to the 

“group-shared expectations”. For example, if the Indian 

people cherish the value of “the principle of equality”, then 

they will have to modify the rules governing the interpersonal

 relationship of husband and wife; and man and woman. As and 

when new activities emerge, people create rules in the light of

 their beliefs about what is ‘good’ and ‘right’.

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