Theoretical and methodological foundations for studying of value orientations

Abstract

The article presents an attempt to compare the concepts “values”and “value orientations”, establish border between them and also synthesize separate scientific developments in order to find the most suitable approach to studying values and value orientations. For that end the paper considers scientific developments of foreign and domestic sociologists who were engaged or continue to be engaged in studying values (E. Durkheim, M. Weber, T. Parsons, U. Thomas and F. Znanetsky, V.A. Yadov, N.I. Lapin, Zh.T. Toshchenko, R. Inglehart, H. Joas). The author makes a try at classification of the scientists’ views on distinctions of the concepts “values” and “valuable orientations” and on functional features of value orientations in the context of social reality.In the conclusion with due account for the developed classification an approach which is most accurately distinguishing the concepts “values” and“valuable orientations” is chosen. Advantages of this approach for empirical researches are described.