Editing Value theory (section)

=== Anthropology ===
{{main|Anthropology}}
Anthropology also studies human behavior and societies but does not limit itself to contemporary social structures, extending its focus to humanity both past and present.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Sutton|2021|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pjAXEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 5]}} | {{harvnb|Fluehr-Lobban|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=LUJPAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA158 158]}} }}</ref> Similar to sociologists, many anthropologists understand values as social representations of goals worth pursuing. For them, values are embedded in mental structures associated with culture and ideology about what is desirable. A slightly different approach in anthropology focuses on the practical side of values, holding that values are constantly created through human activity.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Robbins|2023|loc=§ Foundations of Value Theory, § A Third Approach to Value}} | {{harvnb|Steinert|2023|pp=53–54, 56, 58}} }}</ref>

[[Anthropological theories of value|Anthropological value theorists]] use values to compare cultures.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Steinert|2023|pp=3, 55}} | {{harvnb|Robbins|2023|loc=§ Foundations of Value Theory}} | {{harvnb|Sykes|2016|loc=§ Introduction}} }}</ref> They can be employed to examine similarities as universal concerns present in every society. For example, anthropologist [[Clyde Kluckhohn]] and sociologist [[Fred Strodtbeck]] proposed a set of value orientations found in every culture.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Steinert|2023|p=54}} | {{harvnb|Robbins|2023|loc=§ Foundations of Value Theory}} }}</ref> Values can also be used to analyze differences between cultures and value changes within a culture. Anthropologist [[Louis Dumont]] followed this idea, suggesting that the cultural meaning systems in distinct societies differ in their value priorities. He argued that values are ordered hierarchically around a set of paramount values that trump all other values. For example, Dumont analyzed the [[Caste system in India|traditional Indian caste system]] as a cultural hierarchy based on the value of purity, extending from the pure [[Brahmins]] to the "[[Untouchability|untouchable]]" [[Dalits]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Robbins|2023|loc=§ Foundations of Value Theory}} | {{harvnb|Sykes|2016|loc=§ Introduction, § General Overviews}} | {{harvnb|Steinert|2023|pp=3, 61–62}} }}</ref>

The contrast between [[individualism and collectivism]] is an influential topic in cross-cultural value research. Individualism promotes values associated with the [[autonomy]] of individuals, such as [[self-directedness]], independence, and the fulfillment of personal goals. Collectivism gives priority to group-related values, like cooperation, [[conformity]], and foregoing personal advantages for the sake of collective benefits. As a rough simplification, it is often suggested that individualism is more prominent in [[Western culture]]s, whereas collectivism is more commonly observed in [[Eastern culture]]s.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Karp|2000|loc=§ Individualism and Collectivism}} | {{harvnb|Fatehi|Priestley|Taasoobshirazi|2020|pp=7–9}} | {{harvnb|Kim|2002|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Bsr3h16zrkwC&pg=PA22 22]}} | {{harvnb|Serna|Martínez|2022|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tIedEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA423 423]}} }}</ref>