Estabilidade e mudança dos valores humanos: a dualidade dos princípios de vida

Abstract

The present thesis aimed to contribute to the understanding of the changes that occur with human values at the theoretical and empirical level. Stability and change is a subject of much researched. However, only recently has greater attention been paid to the factors that provide the changes and under what conditions. In this sense, in general, human values are understood as guiding principles of behavior and that cognitively represents human needs, thus influencing the individual in a trans-national way. Schematically the thesis consists of three articles. The first, which deals with the 100 years of research on the variable, is a historical review showing the conceptual and empirical evolution, discussing its past, present and future. The second article has a meta- analytical nature, aims to evaluate the longitudinal studies of human values in the last 10 years. To do so, initially performed a systematic review considering the PsychINFO database, reaching a final number of 4 articles and 7 studies with 1952 participants from 6 different countries. In the next step he processed the meta-analysis through Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. The results indicate high heterogeneity for the ten motivational types, as verified by the funnel graph, the Q value (p <0.001) and the I² index. The effects point to high stability of the values, with a mean value of r of the meta- analysis of 0.64. The third is an empirical longitudinal study conducted over twenty-seven months. A total of 214 university students (63.4% female), with a mean age of 20.26 years (SD = 4.67), were enrolled in all diurnal courses at the I campus of the Federal University of Paraíba. One hypothesis has been tested: plasticity, that is, human values change over time, but their structure remains unchanged. The stability coefficient allowed us to understand that this characteristic is the most salient in the values. However, testing linear and curvilinear models in the Latent Growth Curve Model verified changes in the normative (slope = -0,05; p < 0,05), excitement (slope = 0,10; p < 0,001) and promotion (slope = -0,07; p < 0,001) values, understanding that the construct has some degree of change. Then examined the structure of the measurement time by scheduling Muldimensional, and then comparing their contents in Generalized Procrustes Analysis, the results showed that the composition remains unchanged with time. We trusts that the hypothesis of study was corroborated. It is estimated that the thesis represents a framework of the thematic, showing empirical and theoretical evidences that allow to understand the modifications that occur with the construct throughout the life cycle