Value Profiles Among Finnish Adolescents and Their Associations With Subjective and Social Well-Being

Abstract

Previous research on Schwartz’s theory of basic human values has mostly applied a variable-oriented approach. This study took a person-oriented approach and investigated how values co-occur and are manifested in individuals, that is, what kind of value profiles exist and how they differ in terms of subjective (i.e., life satisfaction) and social well-being (i.e., sense of belonging). In a sample of Finnish adolescents (N = 973; women 59.6%; Mage = 16.8, SD =.70), three value profiles emerged: personal-focus, growth-focus and self-protective, of which the personal-focus group scored highest on life satisfaction, the growth-focus group scored lowest on belonging to social media and the self-protective group scored highest on belonging to organizations. In all, subjective and social well-being were differently related to opposing values. The findings are discussed within a cultural and contextual framework.