Clustering of Rabindrik Human Values

CLUSTERING HUMAN VALUES: A HIERARCHICAL CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF THE RABINDRIK HUMAN VALUE SURVEY

Debdulal Dutta Roy

Psychology Research Unit

Indian Statistical Institute

203, B.T. Road

Kolkata, India – 700108

Venue: Asia Pacific Social Sciences Conference

8.11.2014

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was Asia’s first Nobel Prize winner. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 for his book Gitanjali.

Although most famed for his poetry, Tagore was a creative genius who played a crucial role in the cultural renaissance of India and Bengal in the 19th and early 20th Century.

As well as being a Seer poet Tagore’s achievements included notable contributions in the fields of music, literature, plays, art and education reformer.

Tagore’s songs are enriched with positive human values.

Rabindrik human values and Positive psychology

Rabidrik human values focus on positive side of human existence like self-awakening, peace, resolute etc. They are not the antonym of negative information but the guiding principles to overcome threat from the negatives like fear, unknown danger etc.

Tagore wrote “ This is not my prayer to rescue me in fear” (Bipode more rakkha karo e nohe more prarthana, bipode jeno na kori kono bhoy) :

“ Hey, I am not afraid of unknown, my life will be flourished by understanding the unknown” (Achenake bhoy ki amar ore, achenakei chine chine uthbe jibon bhore).

Rabindranath Tagore (7 May 1861 – 7 August, 1941) and Martin Seligman (Aug,12, 1942)

Tagore was not Psychologist by degree. He was seer poet. His area of research was dynamics in consciousness through performing arts. He understood nature by composing songs. His method of research was observing the changes in nature – the light, sound, water, air etc.

But Seligman is Professor of Positive Psychology. He started career in search of learned helplessness and depression through animal experiment. Later he moves to positive psychology and builds up theories of learned optimism, the antidote of depression. Seligman has observed role of positive information in clinical intervention.

Though they are different by profession, by nationality and by research methods, they are similar in some areas.

Both stress on importance of positive values in psychological intervention. They assign weight on positive information of human existence like freedom, peace, harmony etc. Seligman tried to move our attention to six character strengths in his theory ‘: wisdom/knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence

Both of them are against labelling people in terms of certain psychiatric disorders.

Both stress on inner control, freedom to think, and act.

Both built institution. Tagore built ‘Shanti niketan’ (the abode of peace). Seligman built Institute of Positive Psychology.

By using Tagore’s theory in therapy, it is noted that Tagore’s songs possess some human values that can be used as diagnosis and clinical intervention specially depression, Obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety.

D. Dutta Roy, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, Asia –Pacific Social Science Conference, Malaysia, 8.11.2014


Characteristics of Rabindrik Human Values

Core concept: Rabindrik human values are the core concept of human existence. Values are the expressions of worth.

Universality: Rabindrik human values are free from any religions, cultures, gender differences. All the values are the core values of human existence.

Guiding principles: Rabindrik human values have the guiding principles in peaceful life. The values played major roles in guiding the behavior of freedom fighters in the British era. Freedom fighters being inspired by the values imbibed in the Rabindrasangeet were not afraid of the inhuman torture of British people.

Positive : All the values are positive in nature. The values stress on the positive flow in consciousness.

Types : The values are of two types – path oriented and goal oriented. This is in relation to instrumental and terminal value types of Rokeach.

Source : The values are originated and differentiated by the changes in consciousness layers.

Way to explore the values: Observing flow in consciousness as detached being.

Uses : In Psychological counseling and therapy. The values can change the interpretation of fear, the unknown, the threat.



Outer Layer:-Missing-Anomalies

Inner Layer-Vividness-Orderliness-Complexity

Inner Core Layer-Harmony with Environment-Aesthetics-Cleanliness

Values are developed and differentiated through the flow across layers of consciousness. Observe the values as detached being

List of Path and Goal Oriented human values

Path Oriented Values Self-awakening (imagining positive power ), Emotional control (Controlling unwanted emotion), Systematic (Following planned step ), Non self-insulting (Not offending to self), Fearless (Feeling of overcoming fear), Cleanliness (Neat and tidy), Non work-family conflict (Maintaining balance

between family and work demand ), Niskam principle(Working without expectation of

reward), Challenging (Competing against one), Self-understanding Feedback to self about own

success and failure), Doubtless(Confidence and certainty in belief), Free from fear of failure ( Freedom from anticipated

fear), Resolute (Determined in purpose and action), Active (Avoidance of laziness).

Goal oriented Values Peace (Free from conflicts with others ), Universalization (Thinking for everyone), Enlightenment (Having true understanding), Positive Feeling (Feeling of happiness), Family Security (Taking care of loved ones), A Sense Of Accomplishment ( A lasting

contribution), Pleasure (An enjoyable life), Inner Harmony (Freedom from inner conflict), Self-Respect (Pride in oneself), Salvation (Saving self from bad effect), Self-Empowerment (Enabling power to self), Security (Protection from attack), Significance In Life (Finding meaning in life), Altruism (Considering good of others before

own).

Overlapping of values form clusters

values do not exist in isolation but cluster in some coherent fashion to value domains with more specific meanings.

To this end, the Rabindrik human value items were subjected to cluster analysis as data sets are ordinal in nature.

Grouping human values are not uncommon. Feather (1991) employed principal component analysis to determine structure of Rokeach’s human values.

Objective

To explore cluster of Path and goal oriented human values.

To examine how the cluster of values is differentiated by gender and interests.

Participants

Questionnaire was administered to 123 male and 88 female voluntary student and teacher participants of different disciplines – psychology, management, environmental science, performing arts, statistics and mathematics. Participants included all the major cities of India.

Their mean age was 29.42 years with SD 11.28. Most of them were post-graduates and Ph.D fellows. The Inclusion criteria used in the study was the age range of the sample selected for the study which was between 23 years to 41 years. The exclusion criteria for the study was that the sample should be devoid of any chronic psychiatric illness during the administration of the questionnaire.

Respondents had interest in performing arts (n=21), statistics (n=44), management (n=63), environmental science (n=32) and psychology (n=27).

Instruments:

a)Personal Information Schedule: Individual information specifically, name, age, sex, education, marital status etc. were collected through one information schedule.

b) Value Survey Questionnaire- Value survey questionnaire was developed to assess relative importance of 14 path and 14 goal oriented human values. Each value is operationally defined like Rokeach’s value scale. Respondents were asked to rank the values in terms of relative importance in their everyday life. Most preferred value would get rank 1 and least one would get rank 14.

PathMedian

Sorted Rank

Self-awakening (imagining positive power) 4 1Systematic (following planned step) 5 2Self-understanding Feedback to self about own success and failure) 6 3.5Active (Avoiding laziness) 6 3.5Emotional control (Controlling unwanted emotion) 7 6.25Cleanliness (Neat and tidy) 7 6.25Non work-family conflict (Maintaining balance between family and work demand ), 7 6.25Resolute (Determined in purpose and action) 7 6.25Fearless (Feeling of overcoming fear) 8 9Non self-insulting (Not offending to self) 9 11.5Challenging (Competing against one) 9 11.5Niskam principle(Working without expectation of reward) 10 14Doubtless(Confidence and certainty in belief) 10 14Free from fear of failure ( Freedom from anticipated fear) 10 14

Relative preference to Path Values

Relative preferences to Goal oriented values

Goal Median Sorted RankFamily Security (Taking care of loved ones) 4 1Peace (Free from conflicts with others ) 5 3Positive feeling (Feeling of happiness) 5 3Self-Respect (Pride in oneself) 5 3Universalization (Thinking for everyone) 6 5.5Enlightenment (Having true understanding) 6 5.5Pleasure (An enjoyable life) 7 7Inner Harmony (Freedom from inner conflict) 8 8.5Significance In Life (Finding meaning in life) 8 8.5A Sense Of Accomplishment ( A lasting contribution) 9 11Salvation (Saving self from bad effect) 9 11Self-Empowerment (Enabling power to self) 9 11Security (Protection from attack) 11 13.5Altruism (Considering good of others before own) 11 13.5

Data were ordinal. Therefore, clustering among the values was based on hierarchical cluster analysis with Euclidean distance

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

1. SAW 0.0 2. EMO 86.6 0.0

3. SYS 73.9 78.7 0.0

4. SLF 94.8 85.9 96.6 0.0

5. FEAR 81.9 74.8 82.5 77.0 0.0

6. CLEAN 94.0 87.3 79.6 87.5 85.0 0.0

7. FMC 87.5 78.5 76.5 84.3 83.7 75.2 0.0

8. NISK 102.6 92.2 101.2 81.7 85.1 94.6 87.6 0.0

9. CHALL 92.1 91.1 88.3 75.5 76.0 85.3 86.9 85.9 0.0

10. SLFU 80.0 85.9 78.1 86.0 85.3 85.0 80.5 91.8 83.4 0.0

11. DOU 96.2 84.3 92.0 74.6 78.8 84.8 86.7 82.4 74.5 78.4 0.0

12.FAIL 102.2 88.0 96.0 75.1 74.3 93.4 90.3 77.6 73.6 82.8 61.1 0.0

13.RES 85.6 86.9 84.2 88.4 78.5 92.6 83.6 91.5 86.4 72.4 74.2 80.0 0.0

14.ACT 86.1 88.1 80.9 93.9 81.3 82.5 86.0 101.1 87.4 80.7 87.7 90.4 78.1 0.0

Euclidean distances in Goal oriented values

Tree D iagram for 14 Variables

Com plete Linkage

Euc lidean dis tances

Linkage D is tance

NISKAM FAILURE DO UBT CHALL

SLFINSU FMCO NF

CLEAN FEAR

EMO CO NT ACTIVE

RESO LUTESLFUNDRS

SYSTSLFAW AKE

55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105

There were two broad clusters namely self-directed and accomplishment in path value orientation . Following the medians of two values, it can be concluded that respondents gave more priority on self-directed values in comparison with accomplishment oriented values.

Clusters of Path oriented values

Self-directed cluster: It was composed of nine values as self-awakening, systematic, self-understanding, resolute, active, emotional control, fearless, cleanliness and non work-family conflict. When all the nine values were taken into account, the median value was 6.00.

Accomplishment cluster: Rest of the five path oriented values as non self-insulting, challenging, doubtless, failure and niskam were grouped in this cluster. When all the five values were taken into account, the median value was 9.00.

Clusters of Goal oriented values

There were two broad clusters namely positive feeling and salvation. Positive feeling cluster: It included peace, positive feeling, universalization, enlightenment, pleasure, harmony, empowerment, significance and respect. Salvation cluster: It was composed of five clusters as accomplishment, altruism, salvation and security.

Tree D iagram for 14 Variables

C om plete Linkage

Euc lidean dis tances

Linkage D is tance

SECUR ITYSALVATIO ALTR USM AC C O MPL R ESPECTSIGNIFC N

EMPO W ER M HAR MO NYPLEASUR E

ENLIGH UNIV

FMSECPO SFLING

PEAC E

65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105

Gender Differences

Interest wise difference

Conclusion

To conclude, both path and goal oriented Rabindrik human values can be grouped into two clusters separately.

Path oriented values are grouped into self-directed and accomplishment. Self-directed cluster is more preferred to accomplishment.

Goal oriented values are grouped into positive feeling and salvation. Positive feeling is more preferred to salvation.

In gender wise differences, self-directed cluster is more preferred to female than male.

In interest wise difference, students of statistics and performing arts preferred self-directed cluster. Management professionals preferred accomplishment values more.

References

NAMASKAR

Education

Clustering of Rabindrik Human Values