Social Values: Definition, Characteristics, Sources, Functions, Examples, Divisions

One of the materials taught in sociology subjects is social values. Social value is an abstract concept in humans about what is considered good and considered bad, beautiful or not beautiful, and right or wrong.

Definition

Social values ​​are values ​​held by a society, regarding what is considered good and what is considered bad by society.

Determining whether something is said to be good or bad, appropriate or not, must go through a weighing process first.

This is greatly influenced by the culture in the community itself. So it is natural that there are differences in values ​​between one community and another.

Definition of Value According to the Experts

Kimball YoungValues ​​are abstract and often unconscious assumptions about what is considered important in society.

A.W.Green: Value is awareness that is relatively running with emotion towards the object.

Woods

Values ​​are long-standing general guidelines that direct behavior and satisfaction in everyday life.

M.Z. Lawang: Value is a description of what is desired, valuable, appropriate, and can influence the social behavior of the person of value.

HendropuspitoValue is everything that is appreciated by society because it has a functional utility for the development of human life.

Karel J. Veeger: Stating that sociology views values ​​as notions (something in people's heads) about whether actions are good or not. So, value is a moral judgment or the result of an assessment.

Characteristic features

The characteristics of social values ​​include the following:

• Can affect social self-development
• Has a diverse influence between citizens of the community.
• Tend to relate to one another.
• Formed through socialization (learning process).
• It is part of the effort to fulfill human needs and social satisfaction.
• It is a community construction as a result of interaction between community members.
• Distributed among members of the community (not congenital).
• It varies from one culture to another.

Source of Social Value

The existence of social values ​​in society comes from 3 things, namely God, society, and the individual.

1. Value that comes from God

The source of this value is known through religious teachings written in the holy book. There are values ​​that can provide guidance in behaving and behaving with others in religious teachings.

Example: the value of love, obedience, simple life, honesty, and so on. Values ​​that come from God are known as theonom value.

2. Community Sourced Value

The community agrees on something that is considered good and noble, then it is used as a guide in daily behavior.

Example: polite and courteous to parents. The value that comes from the results of the agreement of many people is called heteronomous value.

3. Individually Sourced Value

Basically, every individual has something that is good, important, and noble.

For example, being persistent at work. Someone assumes that hard work is important to achieve success.

Over time, these values ​​are followed by others and eventually these values ​​will become common property.

In fact, social values ​​that come from individuals are often "transmitted" by giving examples of behavior in line with the intended value. Values ​​that come from individuals are called autonomous value.

Function

Social values ​​have certain functions in society, in general these functions are:

• As a supervisory media, with its compressive power and binding power, it can lead and even pressure humans to do good in social life.
• The final determinant for a person or group in fulfilling their social role in social life.
• As a means of solidarity for group members in society.
• Forming patterns of thought and behavior patterns of community members.
• Contribute a set of tools that can be used to determine the social status of a person or individual or group in the life of society.

Role

In social life, values ​​have an important role, namely:

1. As a direction to act / act.
2. As a reference and source of motivation to do something.
3. Directing people to behave in accordance with the values ​​prevailing in their environment.
4. Encouragement, supervisor, and individual pressure to do good.
5. Solidarity tool to encourage community cooperation so that it can achieve goals that cannot be achieved alone.

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According to Prof. DR. Notonegoro

1. Material Value: something useful for the physical element. Example: clothing, food, and board
2. Vital Value: something useful in certain activities. Example: sports clothes when there are sports activities
3. Spiritual Value: something that is useful for the human mind or conscience. Examples: reason, aesthetics, and religion.

According to Form and Form

1. Material or physical value: concrete value. Examples: buildings, bridges, and electronic devices.
2. Immaterial or spiritual value: abstract value. Examples: ideology, politics, and religion.

According to Characteristics

1. Dominant or important value: many people who adhere to it, the length of time people adhere to these values, the high and low efforts to achieve them, the pride of people using these values
2. Ingrained value or internalized value: values ​​that have become a person's personality and habits. When violated will feel guilty or disappointed. For example: a father who could not save his son who drowned in the river.