Positive Value Change During College

JOURNAL OF
Journal of Research in Personality 39 (2005) 209–223

RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY
www.elsevier.com/locate/jrp

Positive value change during college: Normative trends and individual differences
Kennon M. Sheldon
Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA Available online 9 April 2004

Abstract Do college students move towards ‘‘healthiervalues’’ over the college years? I examined this question using Kasser and Ryan’s (1993, 1996, 2001) distinction between intrinsic (community, intimacy, and growth) and extrinsic (money, popularity, and appearance) values. Graduating seniors evidenced large shifts away from extrinsic values, and to some extent shifts towards intrinsic values, compared to their freshman year scores. Those who evidencedgreater intrinsic value shifts also reported greater increases in psychological well-being over the college career (Ryff & Keyes, 1995), and greater increases in their sense of self-determination in life. Implications for developmental and positive psychology are discussed. Ó 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Do college students develop healthier and more pro-social valuesduring their four years on campus? Although parents, college administrators, and college professors would like to believe so, the issue of positive value-change during college has received little research attention. One reason for this inattention is the prior hesitation of psychologists to address questions concerning the nature of ‘‘positive or healthy’’ values (Kendler, 1999). This question itselfseems to require a value judgment, which research scientists have been understandably reluctant to make. A related reason for the inattention to this issue is that most value models do not make a priori assumptions regarding which values may be healthier than others, and also have not

E-mail address: sheldonk@missouri.edu. 0092-6566/$ - see front matter Ó 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rightsreserved. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2004.02.002

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K.M. Sheldon / Journal of Research in Personality 39 (2005) 209–223

attempted to relate different types of values to positive outcomes, such as psychological well-being, optimal performance, and ego development. In the current research, I focused on a model and measure of values that does provide a way of conceptualizing healthy values, and also ofmeasuring positive longitudinal change in values. Specifically, I used self-determination theory (SDT) and its distinction between intrinsic values and extrinsic values (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Kasser, 2002; Kasser & Ryan, 1996). Intrinsic values are thought to be inherently satisfying to pursue, as they are directly relevant to important psychological needs such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness(Deci & Ryan, 2000). Examples of intrinsic values are those for personal growth, social connection, and societal contribution. In contrast, extrinsic values are less directly satisfying of psychological needs, because they are more likely to involve contingent or unstable self-esteem, non-enjoyable or even demeaning activities, and external pressures (see Kasser, 2002; for a review). Examples ofextrinsic values include those for financial success, social fame/popularity, and physical beauty. As implied by the above, SDT assumes that intrinsic values tend to be more beneficial than extrinsic values, both for the individual and for his/her society. Thus, consistent with the positive psychology approach (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), SDT’s values model is willing to make and testpropositions about ‘‘optimal’’ values and ways of being. To measure values, SDT researchers have asked participants to rate the importance of a broad range of values, after which the relative importance of a set of intrinsic values, compared to a set of extrinsic values, is calculated for each subject. Research has shown that relative intrinsic orientation is associated with many positive individual...