Abstract: This study aims to diagnose three worldviews were: traditionalism, modernism and postmodernism

(all of them relate to the stages of Western culture described by Bauman) and value systems (referring to the

Rokeach theory). The constructs were measured according to the Borowiak Questionnaire “How do you view

yourself and the world around you?” and the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS). The research was conducted on a

sample of 368 Polish students. The authors sought answers to the question of which values – collectivist or

individualistic – are associated with the indicated worldviews. It appeared that a worldview and values (giving

a desired direction in life) are linked in the following manner: a traditionalist worldview is correlated with

collectivist values, modernist and postmodernist worldviews – with individualist values (although these values

do not overlap).

Economic published an article of our authorship [1]

which presented the results of the research on the

relationship between a worldview and values. Three

types of worldviews were taken into account:

traditionalist, modernist and postmodernist. They

were measured according to the Borowiak

Questionnaire “How do you view yourself and the

world around you?”. Values were analysed from the

point of view of Schwartz’s model. The author

placed nineteen types of values in two bipolar

differentiating values, i.e. individualism –

collectivism. In the indicated paper [1] a map of

research trends was presented, based on the co-

occurrence of the authors’ keywords in publications

referring to values and worldviews (Figure 2, p.

595), and literature review was made. Becoming

analyses [cf. literature review in: 1], the diagnosis of

these constructs and their operationalisation is a

binding problem. This study adopts a particular way

of understanding worldview and takes into account

its historical transformations (traditionalism,

modernism and postmodernism). Such an approach

arouses interest in social sciences, but empirical

to different categories and thus focus on different

aspects. This determines different ways of

measuring values. Therefore, it seems advisable to

systems and determine their relationship with the

worldview. This and an earlier article by the authors

[1] are devoted to solving this problem (and thus

filling the research gap). The aim of the paper is to

characterise the traditionalist, modernist and

postmodernist worldviews by means of their

associated values, as well as to capture the

specificity of these relationships by referring to a

more general criterion, i.e. individualism –

collectivism. The second aim – of methodological

which a different tool was used to diagnose value

systems.

worldview are to some extent convergent constructs

as they are based on the status of beliefs that

determine a person’s attitude to reality. However, as

Bar-Tal [2] notes, the degree of connections

should be noted that the existence of structural ties

is emphasized at the definition level: a worldview is

a system of beliefs about the world, nature, mankind

and human’s place in the world, linked to a system

of values [3]. Values become in this approach a

constitutive element of the worldview. Both

constructs are legitimized by their complex genesis,

in which cultural, institutional, personal and

situational factors play an important role. Their

formation is also an important formative task for an

and reality, and axiological claims about values that

define the subject’s own identity. They form a

complex cognitive metastructure. Borowiak

analysed three great cultural stages (formations):

traditionalism, modernism and postmodernism.

Each of them creates a dominant worldview

(culture’s distinguishing feature) which is used by

suggests – was focused on tradition, and especially

on its religious aspect. It paid tribute to what was

formerly established – timeless, supra-cultural and

somebody who expresses his/her moral virtues, and

thus unconditionally accepts and puts into practice

commandments of faith and the social order

approved by the Church. In modernism, the

causative power was attributed to reason, which

allows us to reach “one truth”. The cult did not

revolve around religion, but by science (the wiser

know better). Morality is expressed by acting in

accordance with knowledge which in turn refers to

objective moral values. These were not revealed –

considered in terms of the effectiveness of his

actions: whether he or she was able to pursue

rational, conscious and long-term goals so as to

deserve fame among future generations. In

postmodernism, the existence of objective truth

(which was exposed in traditionalism and

modernism) was questioned and replaced by the

all people (universalism) and it can be expressed in

their own way. However, they are also obliged to

express tolerance and political correctness [9-10, 13,

47]. Man does not live to suffer, make sacrifices

(traditionalism) or postpone gratuities and

constantly strive for success (modernism), but to be

happy.

chronology: their origins can be traced back to the

Middle Ages, the Enlightenment and the 1950s

the traditionalist worldview assigned a higher rank

to collectivist values (Tables 1 and 2). These are

pacifist and egalitarian values – “a world at peace”

(t17) and “equality” (t2) – that is, associated with

protecting the broadly understood well-being of

people and their position in the social structure.

to as moral values. Central to the traditionalist

worldview is the value associated with respect for

religion, i.e. “salvation” (t11). It had the highest

correlation coefficient (r=-0.52). In contrast, people

with higher indicators of the traditionalist

worldview rank lower the values associated with

social status, prestige and personal success (material

hedonism and a need for stimulation (interesting,

enjoyable, varied life): “happiness” (t6), “pleasure”

(t10), “an exciting life” (t3). All the mentioned

results confirm the assumptions included in

hypothesis 1: the traditionalist worldview correlates

positively with collectivist values and negatively

with individualist values. Thus, if one is

characterised by higher traditionalism, he or she

attaches more importance to collectivist values and

less to individualist values.

positive relationships with other values (Tables 1

and 2). These are values related to prestige and

independence of thought and intellectual

competence: “broad-minded” (i2), “intellectual”

(i12) and “logical” (i13). As it can be observed,

these fall into the category of individualistic values.

In contrast, higher indicators of the modernist

worldview are associated with lower indicators of

moral values, which condition the well-being of

not part of the modernist worldview. Taking into

account the whole configuration of the obtained

results, it should be stated that hypothesis 2 has been

confirmed: the modernist worldview correlates

positively with individualistic values and negatively

with collectivistic values.

revealed some other solutions in the axiological

sphere (Tables 1 and 2). The indicators of this

worldview correlated positively with values related

with the content of hypothesis 2. In their case, the

correlations with the modernist worldview are

evident in case of values related to social status,

prestige and personal success, independence of

thought and intellectual competence. Negative

correlations were noted for moral values that

indicators of both worldviews grew, the indicators

of preference for the “salvation” value decreased.

postmodernist worldviews is consistent with the

criterion of collectivism – individualism [cf.

characteristics of collectivism - individualism 67-

77]. It should be noted, however, that in the case of

the first worldview, twenty-two (positive or

negative) statistically significant correlation

coefficients were recorded, in the case of the second

– their number dropped to eleven. Only six such

coefficients were revealed in the analysis of the

relationship between values and the postmodernist

human existence.

traditionalist worldview proved to be consistent with

the ideas promoted within it. As a reminder, the

truth is revealed and applies to all people – at all

times and in any place. Traditionalism is rooted in

religion and is based on values proclaimed by the

people. This worldview is “imbued” with

community, where interpersonal values (RVS scale

of terminal values) and moral values (RVS scale of

instrumental values) condition its preservation.

traditionalism. The truth remained “only one and

objective”, but the trend also accepted detachment

from community. An individual could be

autonomous because he or she was intelligent and

rational. The focus was placed on intellectual

value measurement tool (PVQ-R3) was applied. Are

the conclusions of the analyses in both articles

compatible?

article by 1]:

correlated with collectivist values and negatively

Despite the different way of obtaining value

preference indicators, the same general conclusions

relative importance and transcendent to the

situation, and they guide the evaluation and

selection of behaviours [4, 78]. However, the RVS

and PVQ-R3 differ in the way indicators are

derived. Rokeach claimed that the study of values

should be based on their relative evaluation

(hierarchisation). Thus, a certain number of

elements – i.e. abstract concepts – should be placed

inside a closed structure. Schwartz, however,

abandoned the use of abstract concepts in the PVQ-

of nineteen types of abstract values) which were

located in two dimensions: openness to change –

conservatism, and self-enhancement – self-

transcendence [79-80]. Both the pool of values

included in the RVS and the pool of value types

included in the PVQ-R3 allow for selecting

collectivist and individualistic values [80]. This

classification makes it possible to characterize

worldviews and show their axiological collectivism

(traditionalist worldview) or axiological

motivational conflicts at the intraindividual,

interindividual and cross-cultural levels (the system

of values is seen more dynamically) and emphasises