Friday, September 14, 2012

Rokeach's Terminal Values



One of my favorite parts of Chapter 9 was reading about Rokeach’s Terminal Values.  I would definitely agree that values are the strongest and most personal of the three cognitive structures:  beliefs, attitudes and values.  I could identify with nearly every value listed on the Terminal Values which is why it can be such a successful approach when making a speech.  Values are something that speakers can have in common with most everyone, and once you touch on values that are personal to the audience, I feel you have their undivided attention and they will better remember your speech long afterwards.  Rokeach’s Terminal Values are values that most all of us strive towards in life and aspire to.  Some values we are still fighting for in our nation such as equality and a world at peace.  It was interesting that they mentioned the catchphrase “family values” in the textbook as being popular in politics and that it dated back to 1992.  I wonder if “core beliefs” will ever be a popular catchphrase to win a presidential election?

1 comment:

  1. When I was reading Chapter 9, I also kept thinking about our society’s current value system. Perhaps it is a current focus of mine because of all the political reports that are being endlessly presented by the media. What I find interesting is how much misdirection is being reported on. From one week to the next we get completely opposite presentations of people's values. In my humble opinion, this means that most people we are paying attention to really have no solid core values that they adhere to in the long term. It's very difficult for me to justify dedication of my time and efforts towards these elusive and slippery goals, or causes.

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